Oxtail

Slices of oxtail, skinned

Oxtail (ox tail or ox-tail) is the tail of an ox, a castrated bull. The oxtail of a steer typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. (1-1.8 kg) and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.

Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or braised. It is a good stock base for a soup. Oxtail is the main ingredient of the Italian dish coda alla vaccinara. It is a popular flavour for powder, instant and premade canned soups in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Versions of oxtail soup are popular traditional dishes in both the American South and China. In Korean cuisine, a soup made with oxtail is called kkori gomtang. It is a thick soup seasoned with salt and eaten with a bowl of cooked rice. It can be used as a stock for making tteokguk (rice cake soup). Stewed oxtail with butter beans is popular in Jamaica and Trinidad.