oxtail potjie

Used the recipe for the first time in a casual church potjie competition and WON! Not really surprising because it is so tasty. Thanks for the recipe – Richard

Potjie No: 4 Pot guide
Serves: 6 – 8
Cooking Time: 4 hours
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Ingredients

500g Oxtails cut into 2 inch thick pieces
10 slices Bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 litre beef stock
1 can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
6 large leeks, chopped coarsely
2 large onions, chopped coarsely
6 large carrots, chopped coarsely
20 button mushrooms
1 cup red wine
½ cup sherry
½ cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed garlic

Method

  • Dry oxtails with paper towel.
  • Put seasoned flour in a ziplock bag, then add the Oxtail and shake to coat with flour.
  • Heat butter and olive oil and sauté bacon pieces.
  • Remove bacon and brown Oxtail in resulting fat, remove and drain.
  • Finely dice 4 of the carrots.
  • Coarsely chop the onions and the leeks.
  • Add the finely diced carrots, leeks, onions and sauté until softened.
  • Add Oxtail, beef stock, bacon, bouquet garni, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, tomato sauce, red wine, sherry.
  • Bring slowly to a boil and cook slowly for 3 – 4 hours.
  • 1 hour before serving cut the remaining carrots into 1 inch pieces, add them and mushrooms and continue cooking slowly.
  • Just prior to serving, add cream and stir in.
  • If you want to thicken the sauce mix some cornstarch with the cream before adding.

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27 thoughts on “Oxtail Potjie

  1. Divine, the best Potjie I ever tasted. Changed the receipt slightly added two storks of thyme instead of a bouquet garni. Added barbeque spice two teaspoons. Added the 1 liter of beef stock after the red wine and sherry the instruction not listed in the recipe cooked for one hour. Then added about 16 baby potatoes and green beans in hour two.

  2. Cooking time should be the same. Use larger pot for bigger quantities. Check heat though – pot must simmer.

  3. Used the recipe for the first time in a casual church potjie competition and WON! Not reall surprising because it is so tasty. Thanks for the recipe.

  4. Tried this recipe in a pressure cooker as a mid week family meal to save on time – using recommendations of Julius’ additions as per Response #2 absolutely delicious. Thanks – a well fed family and happy mum

  5. Ours took a lot longer than 4 hrs and led to many fights about the opening up of the lid all the time…..

  6. Wow, what a taste! I don’t normally cook. This was the first time that I cooked a potjie for my family. The taste from this recipe and the enhancement by Julius (#2) was amazing. My family enjoyed the food and the fact that I made the effort. Thanks for making so easy.

  7. Does any one know of any potjie competitions the week of oct 22 in either the karoo or cape town??!!

  8. If you guys want an extra booste of awesome taste to this pot, scrap the tomato paste and rather add 3x table spoons of peanut butter and 4 table spoons of Dijon mustard, WHAT A WINNER it comes out tasting then!! 🙂

  9. I will be making my first potjie on monday… i am soo excited!!! can not wait – i have been talking about this on all my facebook groups today…. we love talking about potjies…

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  11. How do. You serve 8 people with only 500 g oxtails?? Oxtails have bones, you are looking at 3- 4 pieces for 500g . A small packet of oxtails are all ready 1 kg. Every one seem to publish this one recipy. Even Jamie Oliver uses 2.5 kg oxtails for 8 people. I fail tonsee feeding 3 people using only 1/2 kg of oxtails, you will barely taste the meat???

  12. I have tweaked this recipe somewhat. 500g of Oxtail is nowhere near enough for 8 people, I always use 2kg minimum and try and use the thicker part of the oxtail as the thinner parts tend to cook away. I have substituted the bacon pieces with smoked Pork hock ( knuckle )cut into bite size pieces with skin on and fried, I add the hock bone to the potjie but discard when cooking is done. I also add 1.5 kg Beef Cheeks to the recipe. I substitute the mushrooms with baby potatoes. I use two leeks only, but use the whole leek including the green part. Try this tweak and you’ll find that this recipe will be taken to the next level. This will satisfy 10-12 people but they will come back for more.

  13. Made the recipe and then saw there is no instruction as to what to do with the beef stock.
    Its not mentioned anywhere.
    Help!

    1. Apologies for the late reply Ginny, and thanks for spotting that. The stock goes into the potjie at the same time as the oxtail and other ingredients is added back. Updated step 8 in the Method. Thanks!

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