Ingredients Beef Jamaican Braised Oxtails with Carrots and Chiles 3.0 (13) 12 Reviews Oxtails—a deeply beefy cut full of connective tissue—practically melt when braised, resulting in savory, tender meat and a rich and glossy gravy. Novelist Bryan Washington's recipe for Jamaican braised oxtails, an homage to one prepared by his mother, is perfumed by plenty of warming spices, hot Scotch bonnet chiles, and fresh thyme, while sweet carrots and creamy beans round out the dish. By Bryan Washington Bryan Washington Bryan Washington is an acclaimed writer based in Houston, Texas. His fiction, essays, and articles have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Time, The Paris Review, Boston Review, Bon Appétit, and GQ. Bryan is the author of an award-winning collection of short stories Lot (2019) and a novel Memorial (2020).Experience: As a latchkey kid growing up in Houston, Bryan Washington learned how to cook in junior high by observing and emulating the techniques of his neighbors. His cul-de-sac community introduced Bryan to a world of tastes, styles, and food traditions from the Philipines, Cuba, Japan, and Iran. These early experiences influenced how Bryan would later use food as a vehicle through which to explore such things as pleasure, comfort, conflict, intimacy, and dissonance in his fiction. The New York Times praised Bryan's debut novel Memorial for his "focused, detailed, hunger-inducing descriptions of meals and cooking." Although he wouldn't necessarily call himself a food writer per se, Bryan has been drawn to the subject ever since he read his first cookbook. Writer John Birdsall calls Bryan a "master of the culinary essay," ruminating on such topics as salt fish and ackee, omurice, sundubu-jjiae, a year of takeout orders, and Houston's grocery stores. In addition to his articles and essays, Bryan is an Eat columnist for The New York Times Magazine.Education: Bryan attended the University of Houston, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Orleans. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 17, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio Active Time: 1 hrs 20 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Servings: 4 Ingredients 2 pounds oxtails, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts), plus sliced dark green tops, for garnish .3333 cup packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons ground allspice 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste 4 medium garlic cloves, smashed 2 fresh Scotch bonnet chiles, stemmed and chopped 1 ¼ cups dried butter beans 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 cups water, divided 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 3 medium carrots, chopped into 1 ½-inch pieces Directions Combine oxtails, onions, white and light green scallion slices, brown sugar, soy sauce, allspice, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic, and chiles in a large bowl; toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Place beans in a separate large bowl; add cold water to cover by about 3 inches. Cover with plastic wrap. Place both bowls in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 12 hours. Drain beans; set aside until ready to use. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, add oxtails, reserving marinade in bowl. Cook oxtails, turning occasionally, until evenly browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove oxtails from Dutch oven, and set aside. Discard drippings, and return oxtails to Dutch oven. Add beans, reserved oxtail marinade, 3 cups water, and thyme. Cover Dutch oven; cook over low, stirring mixture and turning oxtails every 30 minutes and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a very low simmer, until meat is tender when pierced with a paring knife but not yet falling apart, about 2 hours. Add carrots to oxtail mixture; uncover and cook over low, undisturbed, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a very low simmer, until carrots are tender, meat easily pulls away from bone with a fork, and sauce starts to thicken, about 45 minutes, skimming fat from surface as needed. Gradually stir in up to remaining 1 cup water as needed until sauce reaches a gravy consistency. If desired, remove oxtails from pot; shred meat and discard bones. Stir shredded meat back into pot. Divide mixture evenly among bowls; garnish with reserved dark green scallion slices. Make Ahead Oxtails can be made up to 3 days ahead. Rate it Print