Meat ── Beef cuts
Tail
oxtail — simmered long for its gelatin-rich broth
The tail, its bone wrapped in sinew-rich meat, said to run some 50-60cm per animal. Long simmering melts the gelatin into a rich, silky texture, used in soups and stews.
Lineage
What it's made of
The tail, with meat threaded thick through sinew around the bone. Said to run some 50-60cm per animal, it's handled more as a bone-in whole piece than a conventional cut. It's usually sold cut into rounds at each joint, and the size of the bone in cross-section is said to hint at which part of the tail it came from. Meatier near the base of the tail, it's said to carry more bone and sinew relative to meat toward the tip.
How it's made
Long simmering melts the gelatin into a rich, silky texture, used in soups and stews. Eating it means working the meat off the bone as you go, and the bone itself is said to release more flavor the longer it simmers. Skimming off the scum regularly while it simmers is said to yield a clearer, cleaner-tasting broth. Par-boiling it to remove excess fat before the main simmer is said to result in a cleaner, less heavy finish.
Why it took this shape
Though tough and sinewy, slow simmering draws out both a rich broth and tender meat, and this cut is said to have settled into place as the centerpiece of dishes like oxtail soup and stew. Alongside other slow-cook cuts, it stands as an example of beef that's said to reward patience. That oxtail soup exists in cuisines across East and West is said to speak to just how practical this cut has proven to be. The marrow visible in the bone's cross-section is often eaten right along with the meat as part of the flavor.
Before you go
Dishes in the same style
- NeckFrom the neck, a constantly-worked muscle that is firmer but rich in flavor. Often used ground or processed, including in corned beef, and said to rarely appear as a retail cut on its own.
- SuneFrom the hard-working fore and hind legs, dense with sinew and firmer in texture. Long simmering melts its gelatin, suiting stews and soups, while the foreleg portion is tender enough to grill.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Contrast
- KobukuroThe uterus. Since cattle typically bear only one calf at a time, the amount reaching market is said to be very small. Low in fat and odor, with a firm, springy bite whose quality hinges on careful prep.
- HohonikuThe cheek muscle, firm from constant use. Rich in gelatin, its deep flavor is drawn out through slow simmering, and it is yielded in small enough amounts that it rarely appears at retail.