Jamaican Oxtail with Butter Beans & Carrots

Ingredients

• 3½ lb oxtail, trimmed of loose fat
• 1 can (15 oz) butter beans, drained
• 2 cups Carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 tbsp browning sauce or 1 tbsp dark molasses
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 scotch bonnet, left whole
• 3 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Rub the oxtail with soy sauce, Worcestershire, browning, allspice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Marinate 2 hours minimum; oxtail is patient and so should you be.
2. Scrape off the marinade (reserve it) and sear the pieces hard in oil in a heavy pot, 3 minutes a side, until the edges are almost black. Undercooked color here means pale gravy later.
3. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook 5 minutes, then return the marinade, the stock, and the whole scotch bonnet.
4. Cover and braise on the lowest possible simmer for 2½ hours, checking once an hour and topping up with water if it drops below the meat. The meat should retreat from the bone and wobble.
5. Add the Carrots and butter beans for the final 25 minutes. Remove the scotch bonnet before it bursts.
6. Skim the fat, then simmer uncovered until the gravy is thick, dark, and glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve with rice and peas.