Name: Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Oxtail Soup
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 2 onions , chopped fine; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried; 8 cups beef broth; 3 carrots , peeled and sliced ½ inch thick; 3 parsnips , peeled and sliced ½ inch thick; 2 bay leaves; 3 pounds oxtails , trimmed; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

NOTE: This recipe was updated in February of 2025 to clarify cooking times. Oxtail soup rarely shows up on the dinner table these days. While it offers deep flavor, rich body, and fall-apart-tender meat (thanks to a significant amount of gelatin), it requires hours of gentle simmering to extract the flavor of the marrow inside the bones and to break down the collagen. We wanted to put the slow cooker to work and bring oxtail soup back to the menu. All the oxtails needed was some salt and pepper and plenty of hands-off time in the slow cooker to become meltingly tender. To complement the rich meat, we chose hearty, earthy carrots and parsnips for our vegetables. To round out the soup, we added store-bought beef broth and a combination of onions, tomato paste, and thyme. A sprinkle of fresh parsley before serving added an herbal flavor.

Before You Begin

Oxtails can often be found in the freezer section of the grocery store; if using frozen oxtails, be sure to thaw them completely before using.

Instructions

1. Microwave onions, tomato paste, oil, and thyme in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth, carrots, parsnips, and bay leaves. Season oxtails with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until oxtails are tender, 9 to 10 hours on low or 6 to 7 hours on high.

Transfer oxtails to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard fat and bones. Discard bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim fat from surface of soup.

Stir beef into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.