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These Instant Pot Oxtail are melt in your mouth tender, simmered in a creamy sauce of warm and spicy Chinese flavors. Plus, they are super easy to make in only an hour in the Instant Pot!

braised beef over egg noodles with green onions

This recipe was originally published in April 2018. It has been updated for photos and content.

Guys, I'm not kidding. This has been one of my best creations to date. As the boyfriend describes it, this is one of those "lick your plate" type meals (like these Instant Pot lamb shanks or sous vide oxtails we fell in love with). And he does that.

Braised in a touch of sake, beef broth, broad bean paste and Chinese five spice, these Chinese oxtail are TO DIE FOR. The touch of cream added at the end really balances out the flavors and brings the dish together.

Plus, most of the cooking here is hands off. And you know how I feel about that. More time for Netflix.

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Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions
Expert Tips
More Favorite Instant Pot Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

Ingredients

Well, first off, oxtails. You should be able to find them in your local grocery store. If not, you can buy oxtails online.

What are Oxtails?

It's the tail of the cow guys. They have a deep, rich flavor of beef and are completely amazing. Because the meat is tough with lots of connective tissue, bones and cartilage, it typically needs to be slow cooked to yield good results. It works great in the Instant Pot.

Oxtails are used to make soups, stews, broths, and braised in a similar fashion to short ribs (like these Instant Pot Short Ribs or White Wine Braised Short Ribs) and this Beef Pot Roast.

I love to use chili oil in this recipe - it's optional but I absolutely love to drizzle it over the top. Buy chili oil (affiliate link) or make your own with this Chili Oil Recipe (this is awesome stuff guys!!)

I recommend using homemade beef broth for the best flavor, but in a pinch, I use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (affiliate link). This stuff is a pretty darn good alternative to homemade beef broth - the flavor is nice and deep.

Any kind of sake can be used here - if you don't have sake or can't find it, you can substitute Chinese rice wine (affiliate link) or a dry white wine.

The Chinese Five Spice is a key ingredient to get the delicious flavors in this dish (affiliate link). Chinese five spice is a mix of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise and sometimes Sichuan peppercorns. A lot if the versions may also contain other spices like ginger, licorice, turmeric, cardamom or nutmeg. It's a wonderful warm spice that complements savory dishes well.

If you're not familiar with the broad bean paste, don't worry. Broad bean paste is basically fermented broad beans and chilies.

The best broad bean paste is Pi Xian broad bean paste. It comes straight from an area called Pixian within the Sichuan province and is widely known as the best. You can buy broad bean paste online (affiliate link).

Serving Options

You can serve this the same way you serve any braised meat dish - over egg noodles, rice, polenta, etc. Try some of these ideas:

Start with this Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw or these Scallion Pancakes;
Try serving them over Mashed Turnips or simple steamed white rice (learn how to make the perfect pot of rice);
I personally love a little bread to sop up the extra sauce - try this Chinese Milk Bread;
Simple Stir Fried Bok Choy or Szechuan Green Beans helps offset the richness of the dish.

braised oxtail on a plate over egg noodles

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Step by Step Instructions

Heat the butter in the Instant Pot on the normal saute setting. Season the oxtails with the salt and pepper.

raw oxtaisl seasoned with salt and pepper

Brown them on all sides.

Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the sake and cook for 30 seconds.

Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot while the sake cooks.

Add the beef broth, broad bean paste and Chinese five spice.

Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 60 minutes on high.

Remove the lid and set the Instant Pot back to the saute setting (low) and add the cream. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the cream has reduced slightly and the sauce is thickened.

I simmer for about 5 minutes to get the consistency I like. If the sauce is too thin, slowly pour in a cornstarch slurry while stirring until the desired consistency is reached.

**To make a cornstarch slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch until dissolved.

Serve braised oxtail garnished with some chopped green onions and a drizzle of chili oil.

braised oxtails on a bowl with sauce and green onions

Expert Tips

You can skip the browning if you're in a hurry, but I highly recommend it as it adds a depth of flavor to the dish;
To thicken the sauce, slowly pour in a cornstarch slurry while stirring until the desired consistency is reached. To make a cornstarch slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch until dissolved.
If the oxtails are very large, add an extra 10 minutes to the cook time to ensure they come out nice and tender. The meat should be easily separated from the bones with a fork.
This dish is great made in advance and reheated in the microwave to serve. The oxtails will just become more flavorful. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also store cooked oxtails in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.
The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled - just be sure not to fill your Instant Pot beyond the recommended fill line.

More Favorite Instant Pot Recipes

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