Photo: Rich Beef Barley Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 2 pounds beef oxtails
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
- 2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup (1/2-inch) diced celery (2 stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 cups canned beef broth
- 1 cup pearled barley
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the oxtails, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until browned all over. Remove the oxtails with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Add the leeks, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot along with the bay leaves. Return the oxtails to the pot and add the broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaves, and skim off the fat.
Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the barley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, drain, and set aside.
When the soup is ready, add the barley and cook the soup for another 15 or 20 minutes, until the barley is tender. Depending on the saltiness of the stock, the soup might need another teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Serve hot, with or without the oxtails.
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By Valerie12
Landing nj
on March 28, 2013
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I am completely baffled as to why people thought this was fatty. What a shame that a reviewer even threw her soup out after adding and cooking the delicious and yes expensive oxtails. I used short ribs, still pricey but not as bad. I ALWAYS make soup the day before it is served, put it in the fridge and then literally take the fat off with my hands and toss it. This soup is FANTASTIC. YOU GO INA!!
By karkylarky
Leola,PA.
on March 23, 2013
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I loved this recipe! I used lean beef tips instead of oxtail, added 1 cup frozen peas and 3 small potatoes diced. It was excellent. First time I've ever made Barley soup and I'm 56, lol lol. It is so good for a cold weekend.
By sirwinlaw_8997347
San Marino, CA
on March 23, 2013
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I made a few changes, but it was delicious! I like lean food, so I used 1 oxtail for flavor, and 2 lbs lean, trimmed, cut up sirloin. I'll skip the oxtail next time, because the meat was so dry and tough compared to the sirloin, even tho I cooked it longer than called for by about three times. I prefer a stew to soup -- our main course, so I only used 6 cups of broth, and I dredged the meat in flour and browned it before cooking. Later, I browned the veggies, too. I also omitted the extra salt and used low-sodium broth. It was salty enough for us. I used the slow cooker, and cooked the meat for an hour, and then the rest for two on high. My cooker gets quite hot, more so than most. I added much more broth for eating the leftovers -- it thickens on sitting, of course. It was wonderful I highly recommend it!
Read all 39 reviews