Gotta love Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives…only there would I have gotten an idea like this.  I really wish I could say I’ve been recording and watching several episodes daily ONLY because my husband is halfway across the country for the summer, but this has been going on for months years.  Seriously I love the Food Network more than anything (well, maybe not Game of Thrones but I totally didn’t just say that) and DDD is one of my chief sources of inspiration for my food because of the sheer creativity and talent profiled every single time.  Besides, I never feel bad copying anything I see because they never share their secret recipes and I get to destroy my kitchen trying to replicate something I’ve never even tasted myself.

Huh…maybe that’s not a good thing?  Thankfully, Guy has an excellent vocabulary for food criticism and I was an English major.

If you’ve never cooked with oxtails before, know that they’re a pretty tough cut of meat and need to be either braised or tossed in the slow cooker to bring out the rich, buttery, bone-sucking texture we love so much.  Thankfully, those are probably the two easiest cooking methods out there, so go nuts with flavoring.  In this version, I braised my oxtails in a mixture of coconut milk, tomato puree, and some sweet and spicy seasoning that brought the islands and the Far East together.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs Beef Oxtails

1 can Full-Fat Coconut Milk

1 c Tomato Puree or Prepared Tomato Sauce

1 Onion, roughly chopped

1 Bell Pepper, roughly chopped

2 t Cumin

2 t Chili Powder

2 T Coconut Aminos

Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the oxtails in a medium to large Dutch oven or deep oven-safe dish (like one of the bigger Corningware bowls with a lid).*

Whisk together the coconut milk, tomato sauce, veggies, and seasonings.  Pour over the oxtails and stir to combine.

Bake in the oven, covered, for 4-6 hours at 200 degrees (longer is better–it will continue to tenderize the meat and flavor the sauce).  Occasionally during the cooking process, stir to redistribute the sauce.

*This would also be lovely in a slow cooker.  Just toss everything in and set on low for at least 6 hours.