Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew: Tender, Rich and Easy

Pressure cooker oxtail stew is a rich, slow-braised-style dish made with bone-in oxtail, vegetables, herbs and broth, but the pressure cooker shortens the cooking time. This version takes inspiration from Caribbean oxtail stews, which have many regional and family variations; allspice, thyme and butter beans give it a familiar, savory character. Serve it hot over rice, with bread, or alongside a simple vegetable.

Use an electric pressure cooker with a sauté function, or follow your stove-top cooker’s instructions for browning and pressure cooking. Allow time for the cooker to come to pressure and release pressure naturally; those waits are part of the overall time, not extra work you can skip.

What You’ll Need

A 6-quart (5.7-liter) electric pressure cooker, or a pressure cooker large enough to hold the ingredients without exceeding its maximum-fill line.
Tongs for turning the oxtail, a cutting board and knife, a measuring cup and spoons, and a thermometer for checking the meat.
A bowl or plate to hold browned pieces while you work in batches.

Ingredients

3 lb (1.36 kg) bone-in oxtail pieces, preferably cut into similar-sized sections
1 tsp (5 ml) fine salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp (1 ml) ground black pepper
1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral cooking oil
1 medium yellow onion, about 1 cup chopped (150 g)
2 medium carrots, about 1 cup sliced (150 g)
2 celery stalks, about 1 cup chopped (100 g)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 12 g)
2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
1½ cups (355 ml) low-sodium beef broth
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp (2 g) dried thyme, or 1 tbsp (3 g) fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper, optional; leave it uncut for gentle warmth
1 can butter beans, 15 oz (425 g), drained and rinsed
1 tbsp cornstarch (8 g) mixed with 1 tbsp (15 ml) cold water, optional for thickening

Step-by-Step

Prepare the oxtail and vegetables. Pat the oxtail dry with paper towels so it browns instead of steaming. Trim off large, hard pieces of surface fat, but leave a little fat and connective tissue for flavor and body. Season all over with the salt and pepper. Chop the onion, carrots and celery, and mince the garlic. If the butcher has left unusually large oxtail sections, ask for them to be cut into manageable pieces; do not try to cut through bone at home.
Brown the meat in batches. Select the sauté or browning setting and heat the oil. When hot, add enough oxtail to cover the base without crowding it. Brown for about 3–4 minutes per side, turning with tongs, then transfer the pieces to a plate. Repeat until all the meat is browned; this takes about 15 minutes in total. Browning builds a deeper roasted flavor, though it does not cook the meat through. If the oil smokes, lower the heat before adding the next batch.
Soften the aromatics and scrape the pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the cooker. Sauté for 3–4 minutes, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and water, then scrape the bottom thoroughly with a wooden or silicone spoon. This deglazing step helps prevent a burn warning and loosens flavor into the cooking liquid.
Load the cooker. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and allspice, then add the bay leaf and whole Scotch bonnet, if using. Return the oxtail and any juices on the plate to the pot. Arrange the meat so it is mostly surrounded by liquid, but do not exceed the cooker’s maximum-fill mark. Check your model’s manual for its minimum liquid requirement; add broth if the manufacturer specifies more than this recipe provides. Keep the pepper whole so it flavors the stew without making it very hot, and remove it before serving.
Pressure-cook until the oxtail is tender. Lock the lid and set the valve as directed by the manufacturer. Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow about 10 minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure; the actual time varies with the cooker and the temperature of the ingredients. After the cooking cycle ends, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure according to the manual. Keep hands and face away from escaping steam.
Check tenderness and food safety. Open the lid only after the pressure indicator shows it is safe. Oxtail should be very tender, and meat should pull away from the bone with gentle pressure from a fork. Check a thick piece with a food thermometer: USDA FSIS lists 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for whole cuts of beef; this stew is cooked well beyond that temperature to soften the connective tissue. If the meat is not fork-tender, lock the lid and pressure-cook for another 5–10 minutes, followed by a natural release.
Add the beans and finish the sauce. Use a spoon to skim excess surface fat if you prefer a less rich stew. Remove the bay leaf and Scotch bonnet. Stir in the drained butter beans and simmer on the sauté setting, uncovered, for about 10 minutes so the beans heat through and the flavors come together. Stir gently to avoid breaking up the beans. Taste and add salt or pepper as needed.
Thicken if needed, then serve. If you want a thicker gravy, stir the cornstarch-and-cold-water mixture again and add it gradually while the stew simmers. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Turn off the cooker and let the stew stand for 3 minutes before serving. Spoon the oxtail and beans over rice or into bowls with bread to catch the gravy.

Common Mistakes

Crowding the pot while browning: Too many pieces at once release moisture and steam rather than brown. Work in batches, and wait for the oil to heat again between batches.
Skipping the deglaze: Browned-on bits are useful flavor, but a thick layer stuck to the base can trigger a burn warning. Scrape the base well after adding the broth and water, before pressure cooking.
Expecting pressure cooking to make every piece tender at the same time: Oxtail pieces vary in size and connective tissue. Check tenderness after the first cook and add a short pressure-cooking interval if needed instead of serving chewy meat.
Adding beans before pressure cooking: Canned butter beans are already cooked and can split or turn mushy under pressure. Stir them in after the oxtail is tender and simmer briefly to warm them.
Overfilling the cooker: Oxtail and liquid can foam or bubble as they cook. Stay below the maximum-fill line, and follow the manufacturer’s guidance for foods that expand or produce foam.

Tips

Choose pieces with a good balance of meat, bone and connective tissue. Pieces of similar size are easier to cook evenly, and a little surface fat contributes flavor. If the oxtail looks especially fatty, trim only the thick, loose sections before browning; you can skim more fat from the finished stew.

For a milder stew, leave out the Scotch bonnet. For more heat, remove the pepper after cooking and add a little of its softened flesh carefully, tasting as you go. If Scotch bonnet is hard to find, use a whole habanero as a practical substitute; it has a similar fruity heat, though the exact flavor differs. A jalapeño is milder and less fruity, so add a pinch of cayenne if you want to bring the heat closer. Keep any whole chili intact during pressure cooking to make its heat easier to control.

Butter beans are traditional in many Caribbean-style oxtail recipes. If unavailable, canned lima beans are a convenient substitute with a similar creamy texture; drained canned cannellini beans also work but taste a little milder. Worcestershire sauce adds savory depth. If you do not have it, use 2 teaspoons (10 ml) soy sauce and a small squeeze of lemon; the result will be saltier and less tangy, so taste before adding extra salt.

The finished stew can taste even more rounded after a night in the refrigerator, when the flavors have had time to mingle. Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store them in a covered container for 3–4 days, or freeze for longer storage. Reheat only the portion you need until it reaches 165°F (74°C), the USDA FSIS safe temperature for leftovers. Add a splash of broth or water if the gravy has thickened in the refrigerator.

Troubleshooting

The cooker displays a burn warning: Turn it off and follow the manual’s directions for releasing pressure safely. Once the lid can be opened, check the base for stuck tomato paste or browned bits. Move the food to a bowl, scrape the pot clean, add a little broth, and return the ingredients. Make sure liquid is not trapped beneath a thick layer of food before restarting.
The meat is still tough: Toughness usually means the connective tissue needs more time, not that the oxtail is ruined. Add ½ cup (120 ml) broth or water if the pot looks low on liquid, then cook at high pressure for 5–10 more minutes and allow another natural release. Repeat in short intervals if necessary.
The gravy is thin: Remove the meat and beans temporarily, then simmer the liquid uncovered on the sauté setting to reduce it. Alternatively, stir in a little more cornstarch slurry and simmer for a minute or two. Add slurry gradually; the gravy thickens as it heats, so too much can make it pasty.
The stew is greasy: Skim fat from the surface with a spoon. For easier skimming, refrigerate the stew and lift off the firm fat layer once chilled, then reheat the stew thoroughly. Oxtail naturally releases fat, so this is a normal adjustment rather than a sign that the stew has failed.
The flavor seems flat or too salty: If it tastes flat, add salt a pinch at a time, or a small splash of Worcestershire sauce. If it is too salty, dilute the gravy with unsalted broth or water and add more beans or vegetables if available. Avoid reducing a salty sauce, since evaporation concentrates the salt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make oxtail stew in a stove-top pressure cooker?
Yes. Brown the ingredients in the cooker if its manufacturer permits, then pressure-cook at the high-pressure setting for 45 minutes. Follow the manual for pressure settings, minimum liquid, heat adjustment and safe release; stove-top models can reach pressure differently from electric ones.

Can I use frozen oxtail?
Thaw it in the refrigerator before cooking for more reliable browning and timing. Cooking from frozen makes browning difficult and can increase the time needed for the cooker to reach pressure; do not use frozen pieces if doing so would exceed the cooker’s capacity or conflict with its instructions.

Do I have to brown the oxtail first?
No, but browning adds a deeper, roasted flavor and colors the gravy. If you skip it, still sauté the vegetables and tomato paste, and scrape the pot after adding liquid. The stew will be paler and its flavor less developed, but the pressure-cooking method will still soften the meat.

Why is my oxtail stew oily?
Oxtail contains fat that melts into the cooking liquid. Trim large loose pieces before cooking, skim the surface after pressure cooking, or chill the stew and remove the solidified fat. Skimming is optional and depends on how rich you like the gravy.

What should I serve with oxtail stew?
Rice is a dependable choice because it catches the gravy; plain rice, rice and peas, or another bean-and-rice side all work. Bread, boiled potatoes or a simple green vegetable also balance the rich sauce. Serve the stew hot and include beans and vegetables in each portion.

Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Cool and refrigerate it within 2 hours, then keep it covered for 3–4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until the leftovers reach 165°F (74°C), stirring or turning as needed so they heat evenly. Add a little broth if the sauce has become very thick.

More recipes to cook

Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it (corrections policy).