German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (2024)

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  • European Food
  • German Food
  • German Cooking Basics

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Jennifer McGavin

Jennifer McGavin

Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.

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Updated on 12/3/21

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German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (1)

Traditionally served as a first course for big events like wedding suppers, Christmas Day, or New Year's, German Oxtail Soup is a special treat. A rich beef and vegetable broth with paprika and pepper to add a little bite and Madeira and cream to round everything out, this soup takes awhile to make but is a real taste extravaganza.

There are two main versions of Oxtail Soup, one is a clear broth with beef bits, but this recipe makes a "gebundene" version, thickened with a little flour and cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 pounds soup bones

  • 2 to 3 pounds oxtail, bones included

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 parsley root, or parsnip, peeled and chopped

  • 3 cups chopped celery root (celeriac) or 3 to 4 stalks celery, chopped

  • 1 to 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced

  • 1 to 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 4 carrots, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoons sweet ground paprika

  • 1 cup dry red wine

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 5 juniper berries

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed

  • 1 ounce dry sherry, or Madeira

  • 1 dash cayenne pepper, optional

  • 3/4 cup cream

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or brown rice flour

  • 1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried, optional garnish

  • Baguette, optional for serving

Steps to Make It

At least 6 hours before serving or the day before serving:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Wash soup bones and oxtail bones free of any debris and pat dry. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet and brown bones with meat on all sides at medium heat.

  3. Meanwhile, clean and chop your vegetables. If you can't find parsley root, celeriac, and leeks, increase the celery, onions, and carrots to make 6 cups of chopped vegetables. These are to flavor the strong, beef broth and will be discarded later.

  4. Remove the beef from the pan, add oil if necessary and brown the vegetables for several minutes. Add the tomato paste and the ground paprika to brown for 1 minute. Do not let them burn! Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits.

  5. If the pan is large enough, add the meat back into the vegetables. Otherwise, find a stock pan to hold all the bones and the vegetables, or split into two pots to simmer.

  6. Add the whole herbs and spices and one teaspoon of salt and some ground pepper. Add water to cover everything and let the broth simmer for 2 to 4 hours or more on the lowest setting on your stove.

Two Hours Before Serving:

  1. When the meat is fork tender, remove the bones to a platter to cool.

  2. Pour the broth through a strainer and discard the vegetables. You should have 6 to 8 cups of broth.

  3. Cool the broth and remove the layer of fat on the top. This can also be done overnight, making this a good soup to make ahead and finish just before serving.

  4. When the bones are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and chop into bite-sized pieces. Discard the rest of the bones and cartilage. Refrigerate shredded meat until the last step.

One Half Hour Before Serving:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Reheat the broth gently on the stove. Add 2 tablespoons of Madeira or dry sherry. Add some freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Add salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

  3. Mix a few tablespoons of cream with the flour to make a slurry. Pour into the gently simmering soup, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Add the rest of the cream and the meat. Heat through, but do not boil.

  5. Serve as a first course with awarm baguette and parsley sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

  • German Cooking Basics
  • Beef Mains
  • Soups
  • Vegetable Recipes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
994Calories
65g Fat
18g Carbs
78g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories994
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 65g84%
Saturated Fat 27g135%
Cholesterol 295mg98%
Sodium 558mg24%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 4g13%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 78g
Vitamin C 9mg46%
Calcium 126mg10%
Iron 8mg43%
Potassium 1280mg27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Tomato
  • appetizer
  • german
  • birthdays

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German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you boil oxtail before cooking? ›

Fortunately, you can tenderize the meat by boiling or braising it for several hours. Braising oxtail is strongly recommended because it adds flavor to the stock and the low and slow cook will tenderize the meat and cartilage and bring out flavor from the bones and marrow.

How do you thicken oxtail soup? ›

Alternate way to thicken stew gravy: Remove the oxtails/vegetables, leaving the liquid in the pot. Make a cornstarch slurry in a small bowl (1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water, mixed until combined). Stir mixture into stew liquid and simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes.

What is special about oxtail soup? ›

One of the defining characteristics of oxtail soup is that it contains a large mass of solid ingredients rather than ingredients that have been diced or shredded, as is the norm with Chinese soup.

What country is oxtail soup from? ›

How long should oxtail boil for? ›

Fill with enough water to cover oxtails and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook oxtails until tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

How long to soak oxtail before cooking? ›

To prepare: Remove all packaging. Soak the oxtail in cold water for 1 hour. Place in a pan of fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Why is oxtail soup so expensive? ›

Once considered a cheaper cut, oxtail has gained popularity in recent years, leading to increased demand and consequently, higher prices. Each cow only yields a small amount of oxtail, and the overall supply cannot easily keep up with the rising demand.

Why does my oxtail taste bitter? ›

OK, so if you find that your brown stew 'oxtail' dish has a more bitter taste, this is more than likely due to using too much browning sauce. No worries---you can fix this! Simply break up the bitter taste with a bit of ketchup, brown sugar, and additional stock. This should help!

What happens if you don't brown oxtails? ›

While it's not absolutely necessary to brown the oxtails before stewing them, I do highly recommend it. Browning meat results in caramelization (the Maillard reaction) which greatly enhances the flavor of the finished stew.

What to eat with oxtail soup? ›

What Goes With Oxtails – 23 Tasty Side Dishes to Serve
  • Looking for a quick answer about what goes with oxtails?
  • Starchy Sides. Baked Cheesy Polenta Chips. Mashed Potatoes. ...
  • Vegetables. Ratatouille. Cheesy Bacon Brussels Sprouts. ...
  • Beans & Legume Sides. Boereboontjies. ...
  • Salads. Kachumbari. ...
  • Desserts. Salted Apple Crisp.
Jul 31, 2023

Is oxtail soup healthy? ›

Oxtail is rich in Collagen, a vital protein for our body's growth and repair. Oxtail is high in fat so an ideal energy source for a Ketogenic, Paleo, or Carnivore Diet. With over 70% fat, Oxtail is Ideal for anyone on a high fat / low carb or no-carb diet. Oxtail must be slow-cooked to break down the connective tissue.

What's the recipe for oxtail soup? ›

Ingredients
  1. 2 pounds oxtail, fat trimmed cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks.
  2. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
  3. 2 tablespoons beef drippings, or cooking oil.
  4. 2 medium yellow onions, minced.
  5. 2 quarts water, or 6 cups water and 2 cups beef broth or bouillon.
  6. 2 tablespoons tomato paste.
  7. 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Feb 13, 2024

Is it a must to boil meat before cooking? ›

It depends on the type of meat and the recipe. Some recipes call for the meat to be boiled first, while others may call for it to be fried or grilled.

Why parboil oxtail? ›

Why Parboil the Oxtail First? Parboiling (partially boiling) oxtails frees the bones impurities that may cloud the soup. If you don't want to parboil the oxtails, you can also roast them for about 30 minutes in a 350°F oven on a sheet pan before boiling.

What are the tips for cooking oxtail? ›

Slow cookers and pressure cookers are ideal for cooking oxtail. Alternatively, you can braise oxtail in a casserole dish in a warm oven overnight for best results. The meat is cooked properly when is its soft, jelly like and will fall off the bones easily.

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