Instant Pot Oxtail: Forget braising for hours on the stovetop. This recipe gives you fall off the bone tender oxtail with 45 minutes of pressure cooking, with a rich sauce made from the pot liquid.
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Now, this is about as simple as a recipe gets, but don't be fooled - simple doesn't mean boring. Oxtail is an excellent cut for the pressure cooker. It's full of tough connective tissue, fat, and bones and needs long, slow cooking to melt into tender meat that is falling off the bone. Or, I need to apply some pressure - that's where my Instant Pot steps in. A long, slow braise (cooking the oxtails with a bit of liquid) takes just over an hour in my pressure cooker.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Oxtail is precisely what it says it is - a steer's tail. Beef oxtail is not a common cut in the US, but it is getting easier to find. In the old days, I'd tell you to check your local Mexican market. Now I can find it at my local grocery store (if I dig deep into the meat case), and Costco sells entire tails, cross-cut and sealed in cryovac. If you can't find oxtail, substitute bone-in beef short ribs cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Beef broth: I love my homemade beef broth, but it's a lot of work to make. I'll usually substitute homemade chicken broth, because I've always got some of that in my freezer. Store-bought broth is fine, and water will also work, though I prefer broth because it adds extra flavor to the pot liquid.
- Dried Thyme: If you have fresh herbs, use them instead - I buy "poultry mix" fresh herbs from the store, and use a sprig of rosemary, a sprig of oregano, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Or, for dried herbs, use an Italian seasoning blend instead of the dried thyme.
- Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce: Both add body and umami to the braising liquid. You can skip them if you want, or use all Worcestershire or all soy sauce.
🛠 Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker
A fat separator
📏Scaling
This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker, but you need to brown the oxtails in 2 batches. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker, but again, you may have to brown the oxtail in batches to get it to fit. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook a single 3-inch piece of oxtail through, no matter how many are in the pot.
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Instant Pot Oxtail Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Easy Braised Oxtail. Simple and delicious, braised oxtail in a little over an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds oxtail, cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth (preferably homemade beef broth) or chicken broth or water
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Sear the oxtail on one side: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High until the oil starts to shimmer (or use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the oxtail with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Add the oxtails to the pot in a single layer (they will just barely fit in a 6-quart Instant Pot - think jigsaw puzzle) and sear until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip the oxtails and immediately move on to the next step.
- Add the thyme and liquid: Pour the broth into the pot, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom. Sprinkle the oxtails with the dried thyme, and drizzle the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce over everything.
- Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes with an electric pressure cooker (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot), or for 40 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Defat the sauce and serve: Remove the oxtails from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon. Be gentle - the oxtails will be fall-apart tender. Pour the cooking liquid into a fat separator, and let it settle to separate the fat. Pour a little of the de-fatted liquid on the oxtails and pass the rest at the table to use as a sauce. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 to 3 pieces of oxtail
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 518.8 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.1 g
- Protein: 50 g
- Cholesterol: 88.5 mg
☃️ Storage
Oxtails make great leftovers - I store them in 2-cup containers with some of the defatted sauce. They keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Or, I shred the oxtail meat, pulling it off the bones while it's still hot, and store the shredded meat in 2-cup containers. (Leftover oxtail makes great tacos or shredded beef sandwiches).
Variations
Fancy Version
If you want fancy version of the recipe: After searing the oxtails, remove them to a platter. Add a diced onion, carrot, and 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the pot. Sauté the vegetables, stirring and scraping with a flat-edged wooden spoon until the onion softens and paste starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in ½ cup of red wine (like a merlot) and scrape loose any brown bits of onion and tomato paste from the bottom of the instant pot. Put the oxtail back into the pot and continue with the "add thyme and liquid" step.
Thicken the pot liquid with cornstarch
To thicken the sauce after cooking: after defatting the liquid in the pot, whisk a cornstarch slurry together (1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked with 2 tablespoons of cold water), and whisk it into the defatted liquid.
Tips and Tricks
Searing on one side:
I only sear meat on one side for the best balance between flavor and speed. Browning adds a lot of flavor to braises when the cooking liquid melts the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. You can skip the browning step if you're in a big hurry, and the oxtail will still be good, but not quite as great as it could be. Or, if you have the patience, you can brown the meat on multiple sides to build even more flavor. "Brown on one side" is my compromise between building flavor and speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only one cup of broth or water? Is that enough?
Yes, you need just enough water to bring the cooker up to pressure. That's what makes this a braise, not a stew - the meat is cooking in just a little bit of liquid. Why 1 cup? Because most pressure cookers have a minimum liquid amount of 1 cup (or less). If your cooker needs more liquid, go ahead and add as much as your manual says you need for the minimum liquid amount.
Oxtails are very fatty - should I trim them before cooking?
I don't trim the oxtails - I let the fat render in the pressure cooker, then use the fat separator to remove the fat from the pot liquid before pouring it over the oxtails. That gets rid of enough fat for them to taste great. But, if you really want to trim them before cooking, go ahead - it won't change anything in the recipe. (And you'll still need the fat separator at the end, because oxtail has a lot of intramuscular fat.)
What to serve with braised oxtail
I love these oxtails with mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce, and a green vegetables on the side (like green beans). I usually serve with bread or rolls to, also to dip in the sauce.
Related Posts
- Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
- Pressure Cooker Short Ribs Braised with Beer
- Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket
- Instant Pot BBQ Braised Short Ribs
Looking for something else? Check out my Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipe Index
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Wanda Hall says
Love this super easy
Luda says
Hi. I rarely leave reviews or ratings, but I felt compelled with this recipe. It is so simple with minimal ingredients and yet so flavorful! I've made it 3 times in the past year. It's a game changer. I usually make veal tails for different soups, but I also love beef oxtails. Since I'm the only one in the family that loves them, I don't want to spend hours making them just for myself. Enter your recipe. I only add water, low sodium soy sauce & Worcestershire sauce. SO flavorful with minimal effort. I've made it slightly different each time - browned on one side as per recipe, not browned at all, browned on two sides. Good every time. The last two times I added a whole peeled large potato (so that it wouldn't disintegrate during 45 minutes of cooking) and I had a whole meal.
Thank you. It's a keeper.
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
JQUEZZY says
Perfect recipe!!! Oxtails are delicious 😋
Juan says
So freakin’ good! I made this for my wife this evening with some rice and collards as sides and she loved it. I have always been intimidated to try and cook oxtail because living in Brooklyn I have access to amazing Caribbean restaurants who make some delicious versions of it. I’ve always imagined the dish to be complex and labor intensive but this recipe was so easy and good. Thank you so much!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Jorge San Martin says
I have been cooking ox tail for a while. My mother taught me that instead of water or beef stock , you sauté it with a little water, onions, green peppers and the liquid is coconut milk. It really takes it a few steps higher. I also use my pressure cooker to sauté and cook it in the same pot. After de-fatting the tail, you add the coconut milk and let it finish cooking.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks for the tip - a little extra work than this easy oxtail, but it sounds good!
Beth says
My first taste of oxtails and it was very good. I love the gelatinous texture and flavor. I made a little roux to thicken the broth, after I did the fat separation, as I thought it would be better over the rice. Thanks for posting. P.S. I didn’t have the worsestshire, I always have it on hand. So I subbed horseradish to add zing.
Kandice McGee says
Just made this tonight and it was amazing! I never leave reviews but this recipe called for one. I have souther roots so oxtails we always a special Sunday dinner kinda treat. Followed you simplistic recipe to the T but I turned my stock into a gravy to poured over butter filled mashed potatoes. Oxtails no longer have to be a weekend meal. Thank you Mike!
Makoto Cole says
Thanks for this recipe. I like the simplicity of the ingredients. The cooking time of 45 minutes was perfect. Thanks again!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome
C.E. says
I loved this recipe.
I just added 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp onion & 1 tsp garlic powder along with the other ingredients in the broth to the other ingredients in a large measuring cup, stirring until well measured. Then poured into the metal liner, added the oxtails and cooked according to your instructions.
Verity Alonso says
This recipe is amazing, i am married to a Cuban ( from Cuba) and my Cuban father-in-law lives with us.
I had never made Oxtail (Rabo) and my father-in-law loves it. Now normally Cubans make a stew... but i liked the meat as meat and serve with rice and beans, plus i had all the ingredients for this recipe in the house. Anyway... my father-in-law LOVED it ... i mean he thought i had been making Oxtail forever and had been keeping it from him, lol. So thank you ... now this has been added to my monthly menu.
Marc says
Love the taste of this oxtail and it's real easy to prep. I coat the oxtail in flour before braising as i find it gives a better flavour and thickens the sauce wonderfully. Highly recommended.
Mandy says
I add bay leaf and 400ml red wine delish!
GP says
Simple but awesome. I’ve always liked oxtails but used to take so long to cook. With this recipe, I was able to fix it for a weeknight dinner. I’m following plant paradox and substituted liquid aminos instead of soy and Worcestershire sauce. Thickened the juice with arrowroot flour. Served the it over egg noodles. My husband said I should add it to the replay list.
Kitty says
I just made this ox tails and they were great
Jeff Winett says
Please ad me to the list of having fallen for pressure cooker braised Ox Tails in a big way. I had never made these in my lifetime until reading Mike's recipe/technique. I made them 2 days in advance, keeping the braising liquid separate from the tails. The chilled solidified fat was removed from the liquid so easily, and the resulting liquid was a completely bone enriched gel. When ready to serve I put the tails into a pyrex casserole and topped with that amazing liquid, albeit in "jello" state. I reheated the casserole covered with foil, and my accompaniment was Polenta. For me, this was even more delicious than short ribs! Thanks Mike, so much for sharing this recipe.
David A Edelstein says
I _adore_ oxtail. When I was growing up in Honolulu there used to be a tiny family run restaurant about a mile from our apartment that was famous for their oxtail noodle soup; I miss it to this day.
Generally when I make oxtail (in my pressure cooker, of course) I go in more of a soy sauce/doban jian/chiles/sesame oil direction. But I contend that you could cook it in plain water with a bit of salt and it would still be delicious.