My OTHER all time favorite recipe - Braised Jamaican Oxtail

Whenever I am able to go to a Jamaican restaurant, I order Oxtail and Beans, rice and peas, cabbage, and plantains. One of my favorite meals of all time. On occasion, I order the oxtail with "food" - which is a dumpling, yam (a Caribbean yam, not a sweet potato), and boiled green banana.

After I fell in love with oxtail about ten years ago, I decided I had to figure out to make it on my own. I found this recipe online. The Original Source is a Jeff Smith cookbook (The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors). It is absolutely delicious, with a prominent allspice flavor. I had never cooked with allspice before I tried this recipe, but now I use it in a lot of recipes. It is one of my favorite seasonings.

This oxtail is tender and delicious, and I love to serve it with rice smothered in the gravy. For a tasty Caribbean treat, try this recipe!

1/3 c Dried small white beans
1 tb Vegetable oil
3 lb Beef oxtails
3 Garlic cloves; peeled and cr
1 md Yellow onion; peeled and diced
1 md Tomato; diced
2 c Canned beef stock
2 c Water; (approximately)
2 tb ground allspice
Salt; to taste
Black pepper, freshly ground
Tabasco sauce; to taste

Place beans in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of the water, bring to
a boil, covered, then turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 1 hour,
covered, then drain.
Brown the oxtails well in the oil. Place the oxtails in a 6-quart
stove-top casserole.
Add the garlic, onion and tomato. Add the beef stock and enough
water so it just covers the contents of the pot. Add the allspice,
salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 3 1/2 hours, adding the drained beans after 1
1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
Remove the lid during the last hour of cooking if you want a
thicker sauce. Be careful the pot does not dry out. Season with
salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. This recipe serves 4 to 5.