{"id":5958,"date":"2014-02-25T12:15:33","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T11:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=5958"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:12:53","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:12:53","slug":"the-tail-of-the-ox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/5958\/the-tail-of-the-ox\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: The Tail of the Ox"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Oxtail, a tough gelatinous cut of meat that was a favourite for stews and soups, has had an interesting cycle when it comes to fashionable eating.\u00a0 Our ancestors knew all about nose to tail eating and everything was used.\u00a0 They were very aware that once the prime cuts were sold there was plenty of meat left on an animal as long as you were prepared to wait while it cooked.\u00a0 This long slow cooking rendered it every bit as tasty as\u00a0the rib.\u00a0\u00a0Not only did they use the\u00a0tough but meaty\u00a0areas of shin, shoulder and\u00a0tail areas, offal was also on the menu.\u00a0\u00a0Again there was\u00a0a nutritious value to every part of the animal and they\u00a0knew it.\u00a0Kidney, liver\u00a0heart and stomach were all considered food and\u00a0not waste.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Historically many of our best animals or meat were exported and long before refrigeration, the animals would be taken\u00a0to\u00a0Irish ports and slaughtered near or on the docks for export.\u00a0\u00a0For this reason port towns and cities would have a very strong tradition in offal and the tougher cuts such as oxtail.\u00a0 Once the prime cuts were butchered and prepared for export, the leftovers would have\u00a0been discarded or sold at a very low price, making them very popular with the masses.\u00a0 Those that worked on the port and, back then, it would have been a substantial employer, and those that worked around it would have had access to all these delicious wonders.\u00a0 While we talk about it as if it were ancient history, there are plenty of people still\u00a0alive today that would remember these\u00a0times quite clearly or at least would have been children\u00a0during those years.\u00a0 Also the\u00a0methods of cooking these cuts would have been passed down\u00a0by word of mouth from generation to generation.\u00a0 There was no such thing as buying the\u00a0‘One Hundred Things to do\u00a0with a Kidney’\u00a0 back then.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meanwhile the rest of the world was also acutely aware of the value of the leftover bits. In every country where animals were reared, from Asia, New Zeland and mainland Europe\u00a0you will\u00a0find tremendous recipes\u00a0for\u00a0all the interesting parts of an animal that our generation largely turned our noses up at.\u00a0 While we did become more prosperous and could afford the more expensive cuts of meat the other issue was time.\u00a0 If you had a job outside of the home suddenly it was impractical to make dishes that took hours of long slow cooking, we needed\u00a0convenience and\u00a0so the idea of\u00a0speeding everything up\u00a0began in ernest. \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Today the trend for nose to tail eating is back; fed in part by economics, in part by environmental concerns and, ironcially, also fed by our constant appetite for something ‘new’.\u00a0 Oxtail is one of those ‘new’ things.\u00a0 It is highly fashionable\u00a0on restaurant menus and there are many interesting approaches to oxtail that are influenced from abroad.\u00a0 Did you know that oxtail is huge in Hawaii.\u00a0 All over Hawaii you will find a traditional oxtail soup.\u00a0 While we know oxtail soup to be thick and beefy in Hawaii it is a broth elevated with spices such as orange, star anise, ginger,\u00a0onions and fresh corriander.\u00a0 So straight away it doesn’t have to be a heavy winter dish, it can be light and fresh and suitable for the heat.\u00a0 Oxtail also stars in Italian and Korean cuisine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When the tail is taken from the cow (not necessarily just an ox) it is skinned and cut into sections.\u00a0 There is alot of bone and fat but when cooked slowly these elements give up a flavour that is superb.\u00a0 And don’t be afraid to experiment with the liquid and spices.\u00a0 Try wine or beer instead of water add in some non traditional herbs and spcies and watch the dish sing.\u00a0 Oxtail is also a great meat to use in a slowcooker or a pressure cooker, both are pieces of kitchen kit that are enjoying a huge revival in popularity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the most interesting things I came accross recently in my search for oxtail recipes was a Spicy Asian Soup.\u00a0 Here is the recipe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ingredients<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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