Oxtail & Bacon Potjie
https://foodloversmarket.co.za/recipes/oxtail-bacon-potjie/
We all have our favourite oxtail recipe, but this one relies on the addition of bacon to add a little extra smokiness and depth to the flavour.
Cooking Methods
- Braai
Ingredients
-
1 kg oxtail, cut into pieces
1 packet streaky bacon
½ cup (125 ml) seasoned flour
30 ml oil
30 ml butter
2 onions, chopped
4 large leeks, sliced
4 celery sticks, sliced
30 ml Food Lover’ Crushed Garlic
1 can (410 g) Food Lover’s Tomato & Onion Mix
2 bay leaves
1 – 2 litres beef stock
250 ml red wine (optional)
sprinkling of black peppercorns, left whole
10 ml dried thyme
1 prepack Potjie Vegetable Mix
or assorted baby carrots, whole baby onions, whole baby potatoes, green beans
125 ml sherry (optional)
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
-
Coat oxtail pieces in seasoned flour.
Heat butter and oil in pot and fry bacon until cooked, remove bacon from the pot.
Fry floured oxtail pieces in the bacon-flavoured fat until browned, remove oxtail pieces from pot.
Saute the onions, leeks, celery and garlic until soft.
Add oxtail and bacon and stir.
Add can of tomato & onion mix, bay leaves, peppercorns and some of the stock, mixed with red wine if using.
Allow to simmer for about 3 hours, checking that the mix does not dry out and burn and keeping coals replenished as needed.
Top up with extra stock as and when necessary.
About 1 hour before end of cooking time, toss in thyme, vegetables and sherry if using. Try not to disturb the vegetables too often, they should stay whole.When meat is very tender (almost falling off bone), check seasoning and adjust if needed. If gravy is too thin, thicken with a little Maizena. For added richness, you can also add a big dollop of cream if you like, but the stew should already be hearty and flavoursome on its own.
