Oxtail & Beef Cheek Ragù
Oxtail and beef cheeks, while used regularly in many cultures, are typically not super commercialized pieces of beef, and some people may not realize all the wonderful, delicious uses for them. This is the best pasta dish you will ever eat. Keep reading to learn more about this tasty recipe!
Step 1: brown beef cheeks and oxtails
Before browning, be sure to generously season your beef with salt. In a dutch oven, begin browning your beef in small batches. You want to make sure there is not a ton of overlap in the bottom of the pan or the meat will steam rather than sear.
Step 2: Sear vegetables
In the same pan, add the onions and garlic face down. Repeat with carrots, fennel, and celery. Once seared, remove from pan and add back beef. Pour in beef broth, milk, parmesan rind, and bay leaves. Then add water until the beef is halfway covered with liquid.
Step 3: Cook Down in oven
After the liquid has covered the cheeks and oxtails halfway, add back in the vegetables. Cover and cook in oven for two hours on 300°.
Step 4: Shred Beef, Purée vegetables, & make Ragù
Remove all ingredients from dutch oven. Shred the beef cheeks and oxtail while removing all bones. Separate the vegetables and remaining liquid. Reduce the liquid by half and then strain and reserve for later. While liquid is simmering down, purée the vegetables in a blender.
After the vegetables have been puréed, add them to back into the dutch oven with olive oil and constantly stir for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in the reserved liquid and tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes and add the shredded beef back into the dutch oven. After all these steps are completed, cover with a lid and let simmer on low for 1-2 more hours. Add water, a little at a time, if sauce begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: plate & Serve
This dish is a labor of love, but once it’s finished you will be over the moon! You can use any type of pasta to serve the ragù over, but we recommend our giant gnocchi! (recipe included below)
The final step is to garnish with a heaping portion of freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Oxtail and Beef Cheek Ragù
Ingredients
- 1 oxtail split
- 2 beef cheeks peeled
- 1/2 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 bulb fennel
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 heads garlic halved
- 2 c milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 c beef stock
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1/2 c olive oil
- #10 jar San Marzano tomatoes
- 600 g boiled potatoes
- 300 g whole milk ricotta
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 75 g pecorino romano
- 15 g salt
Instructions
- Trim the fat cap off beef cheeks and split the oxtail into small portions along the tailbone. Season both cuts generously with salt
- In a large dutch oven, brown the cheeks and oxtail over med/high heat
- Remove from pan and turn to medium heat
- Add in the onion and garlic cut-side down
- Once fragrant, remove onion and garlic and add the celery, fennel and carrot. Sauté then remove from pot
- Add cheeks and oxtail back to pot and pour in the beef stock, milk, bay leaves and parmesan rind
- Add water until the cheeks and oxtail are halfway covered with the liquid
- Place lid on and put in the oven at 300° for 2 hours (or until the beef cheeks and oxtail shred)
- Once out of the oven, remove all ingredients and place in a large bowl
- Put the dutch oven over heat and start reducing the liquid by half. Then strain and reserve for later
- Shred the cheeks and the oxtail and set aside
- In a food processor, add carrot, onion, garlic, fennel and celery and pulse
- Remove from food processor and add combined vegetable mixture back to the the dutch oven with olive oil
- Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat constantly stirring
- Add in the strained liquid reserve and tomatoes
- Bring to a simmer while crushing the tomatoes, then add the shredded oxtail and beef cheeks back to the ragù
- Simmer covered for another 1-2 hours on low heat
- Season with salt and serve over pasta
- Top with freshly grated parmesan
- Make sure potatoes are mashed and smooth with no large pieces
- Mix in the eggs, ricotta, pecorino and salt and slowly work together
- Add in the flour little by little until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch (may take more flour depending on moisture content of potatoes)
- Once mixed, place in fridge for 30 minutes
- Remove from fridge and roll into pieces about the size of a quarter in diamter
- Cut .75 of an inch and using your thumb, make a small indentation on the cut face to create a small pocket
- Dust with flour and freeze until ready to use