Oxtail and Red Wine Potjie

28th February 2022

Can you get anymore South African than a Potjie meal? A beautifully slow cooked stew in a cast-iron pot over an open fire that tastes as good at it looks. This one combines the richness of oxtails and red wine to provide a delicious, hearty one-pot meal. Start the fire and get your potjie pot ready…

Ingredients

• 500g fresh oxtails
• 10 slices of bacon cut into chunks
• ½ cup flour, seasoned liberally with salt and pepper
• 1 litre beef stock
• 115g tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 bouquet garni
• 4 large leeks, chopped coarsely
• 2 large onions, chopped coarsely
• 6 large carrots, 2chopped coarsely
• 20 button mushrooms, quartered
• 250ml red wine
• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic

Method

• Pat the oxtails dry with a paper towel.
• Put seasoned flour in a resealable plastic bag, then add the Oxtail and shake to coat with flour.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in the potjie and sauté bacon pieces.
• Remove bacon, add the oxtail to the pot and brown in the bacon fat. When each piece is browned all over, remove and drain on paper towels.
• Add the carrots to the pot together with the chopped onions and the leeks, and sautée until softened.
• Return the oxtail and bacon to the pot and add the bouquet garni, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, tomato sauce, beef stock, red wine and mushrooms.
• Bring slowly to the boil (if you got this far on gas, now is the time to transfer it to the coals). Cover tightly with a lid and allow to cook undisturbed for 4 hours.
• If you want a thicker sauce, stir in some cornstarch mixed with cold water