Rabo Guisado or Puerto Rican oxtail stew is a Caribbean dish that features tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone beef, in a rich, savory sauce infused with sofrito, herbs, and spices. Paired with sides like arroz blanco, tostones, and avocado, this is a five-star dish!
Rabo guisado is prepared many different ways in different parts of the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic and Cuba, the dish is called rabo encendido and typically includes some form of alcohol such as beer, wine, rum, or brandy. In Puerto Rico, alcohol is not typically used and the sauce mainly consists of sofrito, tomato sauce, herbs, and spices. Jamaican oxtail is prepared with browning sauce and also scotch bonnet peppers. I personally enjoy taking a piece of each traditional recipe and putting my own spin on this delicious dish.
What is oxtail?
Oxtail is the tail of a cow. The tail is skinned and then cut into sections, at the joints. In some cases, oxtail can be the tail of an ox or bull. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. The term ox refers to bulls that are castrated, which makes them less aggressive and safer to work with.
Ingredients for making rabo guisado:
- Oxtail, cut at the joint
- Achiote oil
- Sofrito
- Recaito
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lime juice
- Garlic
- Adobo
- Sazón
- Garlic powder
- Ground oregano
- Ground black pepper
- Red wine
- Bouillon
- Tomato Sauce
- Onion + Peppers
- Bay leaves
- Culantro
For this recipe I used Loisa sofrito, recaito, adobo and sazón. Loisa products are made with clean ingredients, without fillers or harmful dyes. Use my code madewithsazon for 10% off your order!
How to make Puerto Rican oxtail stew?
Clean the oxtail
First clean the oxtail thoroughly by rinsing with plenty of cold water and white vinegar. Then, trim off any excess fat and set aside.
Marinate the oxtail
In a large mixing bowl, add achiote oil, sofrito, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, adobo, sazón, garlic powder, ground oregano, and ground black pepper. Then, add in the oxtail and toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and allow to marinate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Cook the oxtail
I like to brown the oxtail in caramelized sugar. This helps add color and depth of flavor to the beef. Once browned, remove the oxtail and set aside.
In a pressure cooker, add achiote oil, onions and peppers. Add the oxtail and pour in the remaining marinade. Next, add the wine, tomato sauce, and bouillon. Add enough water to cover the oxtail. Then, add bay leaves and culantro leaves. Cover and cook for about 30-45 minutes. Serve with your sides of choice and enjoy!
What to serve with rabo guisado?
Rabo guisado is a savory dish that pairs well with sides like arroz blanco, tostones, and avocado. Root vegetables like malanga or yuca with mojo are also great options. Lime wedges also help enhance the flavors of the stew. In addition, other sides that work well are macaroni salad, or potato salad.
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Rabo Guisado (Puerto Rican Oxtail Stew)
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker 6 quart
Ingredients
- 5 lbs oxtail cut at the joint
- 1/2 cup white vinegar for rinsing the oxtail
- 1-2 tsp granulated sugar for browning the oxtail
Marinade
- 4 tsp achiote oil see notes
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lime juiced
- 8 cloves garlic crushed (reserve 1 clove for the end)
- 2 tsp Adobo Loisa
- 2 tsp Sazón Loisa
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Stew
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 cubanelle pepper thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Recaito Loisa (can sub with sofrito)
- 1 cup red wine Cabernet, Pinot Noir, or Merlot
- water enough to cover oxtail
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp beef or chicken bouillon Better than Bouillon
- 3 bay leaves
- 4-5 culantro leaves (recao)
Instructions
Clean the oxtail
- Clean the oxtail thoroughly by rinsing with plenty of cold water. Trim off any excess fat and place them in a bowl. Add the white vinegar and allow to soak for 5-10 minutes. Drain, rinse again, and set aside.
Marinate the oxtail
- In a large mixing bowl, add achiote oil, sofrito, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, Loisa adobo and sazón, garlic powder, ground oregano, and ground black pepper.
- Add in the oxtail and toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and allow to marinate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Cook the oxtail
- Place a large pan over medium high heat and add granulated sugar. Brown the oxtail in the caramelized sugar about 4 minutes on each side. This can be done in batches.
- Once browned, remove oxtail and set aside.
- In a pressure cooker, add achiote oil, onions, peppers, and recaito. Cook until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the oxtail and pour in the remaining marinade. Add the wine, tomato sauce, and bouillon.
- Add enough water to cover the oxtail. Bring to a boil.
- Add bay leaves and culantro leaves. Cover and cook for about 30-45 minutes at medium heat.
- Once the oxtail is fall-off-the-bone tender, remove the aromatics and skim the excess fat collected at the top.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If you prefer a smooth sauce, strain the sauce and return it to the pot. If the sauce is too thin, add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. *See notes.
- Optional: add 1 small clove of raw, crushed garlic. Stir well.
- Serve with your sides of choice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
How to make achiote oil:
Aceite de Achiote (Annatto Oil)TIPS:
If the broth is too watery, thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Mix equal parts of cornstarch and cold water. Start with 1 tablespoon of corn starch + 1 tablespoon of water. Add it to the broth and stir while the flame is on medium. The heat will help the cornstarch thicken the broth nicely. This is usually enough but add a little more slurry, if necessary. Use drinking wine, not cooking wine. Cooking wine contains salt and additives that can ruin the flavors of this dish. Drinking wine will enhance the flavors and take this dish to a new level! I recommend dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. If you prefer onions and peppers with texture, add them in 15 minutes before the end of cooking time. Otherwise, they will soften and disintegrate into the sauce. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook this dish in a caldero or Dutch oven. It will take about 2 hours for the oxtail to become tender. Once the oxtail is fall-off-the-bone tender, remove the aromatics (culantro, bay leaves) and skim the excess fat collected at the top. Oxtail is very fatty, so you’ll want to “clean” the sauce by removing the excess fat. Optional: add 1 small clove of raw, crushed garlic once the oxtail is cooked. In my opinion, this elevates the flavors of this dish to new heights! Stir well and remove from heat. Serve with your sides of choice and enjoy!Loisa Discount:
For this recipe I used Loisa sofrito, recaito, adobo and sazón. Loisa products are made with clean ingredients, without fillers or harmful dyes. Use my code madewithsazon for 10% off your order!Check out more Latin recipes!
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