During 2011, FIL was from time to time annoyed by the fad, acquired from the pub which used to be known as the Wheatsheaf in South London Road when it offered roast oxtail on its evening dining menu, Brazilian style. FIL being annoyed by the oxtail being a touch firm, tough even, for his dentures. I put up with the toughness on account of the more interesting taste and texture, over that of boiled oxtail. Subconsciously having a pop at FIL along the way, a chap who had been a touch overbearing in his prime?
Now he has gone, the worm has turned, as I am no longer confident that the alimentary department can cope with full on oxtail; indeed, I have not cooked the cut at all for more than a year. But this week I have been moved to give it another go. Phase 1, buy the oxtail. I was pleased to get as many large lumps as small lumps, usually preferring the large lumps. As do most others, so the butcher has to maintain a fair mix as sales proceed. Phase 2, cover with water and simmer gently with three onions coarsely chopped for around 4 hours. Phase 3, remove the meat from the liquor, strain the onions from the liquor and allow the liquor to cool.
In the morning, remove fat from the top of the liquor, which by this time has set to a translucent pale green, with the odd thing being that there was not all that much fat from what I regard as a fatty cut, maybe a quarter of a pint, and it did not set at all firmly. Nothing like as firmly as, for example, lard, even when left in the refrigerator. Maybe the liquor was too strong, too strong for the fat to separate cleanly, with the result that the fat which made its escape from the liquor was was rather watery and that there was a lot of fat which never made it at all. Having said all this, perhaps not such a bad thing. If you strip all the fat out of the liquor, it can seem a bit thin.
Phase 4, put the ingredients back together again, add 3 ounces of pearl barley and simmer for a further hour. Serve with rice and cabbage, both boiled and white. Not bad, but I think next time the first simmer will be for just three hours. I like the meat a bit firmer than it turned out on this occasion. As it turned out, small lumps (see Phase 1 above) were better on this occasion because they were firmer.
Liquor, of which there was plenty, entirely drinkable, without meat lumps, as soup.
Phase 5, mix the fat, which never did go off properly, with breadcrumbs and raisins and paste the mixture into the glazed pottery bird feeder obtained from a craft fair at Bourne Hall. Hang feeder from hawthorne tree behind the pond and await bird action. Nothing so far, some two hours later. Will the mixture drip out in the morning sun, be eaten by the birds or go mouldy?
Today's lunch was a lot cheaper - enough oxtail for 2 costs around £10 - and a lot simpler, being the trusty pork soup. With the development that I grated two medium sized raw potatoes into the mix at the outset, there not being any left over mashed potato to hand. Result excellent; a health giving mixture of carbohydrate, vegetable fibre and protein. Not much fat at all, despite the meat part of the operation being pork. Was there more fat in the pearl barley than there was in the pork?
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