Name: Smothered Oxtails and Hatch Chile Cornbread
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT3H45M0.000S
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh lime juice; 1/2 cup fresh orange juice; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons whole allspice; 2 teaspoon whole cloves; 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 12 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 8 medium-large oxtails (4 to 4 1/2 pounds); 1 tablespoon avocado oil; Rice, mashed potatoes or grits, for serving; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese; 1 cup buttermilk; One 4-ounce can hatch chiles; 2 large eggs, beaten; 3/4 cup red wine vinegar; 3/4 cup white wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

For the smothered oxtails: Add the lime juice, orange juice, tomato paste, white wine vinegar, oregano, allspice, cloves, flour, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the salt, 2 teaspoons of the pepper and 4 cups water to a blender. Blitz on high until smooth, about 1 minute. The sauce should be slightly thick but pourable.
Combine the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl; evenly season the oxtails with the mixture. 
Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the oxtails in batches and cook on both sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Add all the oxtails back to the Dutch oven and cover them with the sauce, making sure they’re submerged. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
For the hatch chile cornbread: While the oxtails are marinating, make the cornbread. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Rub the inside of an 8-inch square baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Mix the cornmeal, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in the pepper jack cheese.
Mix the buttermilk, hatch chiles, eggs and remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter in a medium bowl. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick is inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan about 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
To finish the oxtails, place the pot with the oxtails over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Flip the oxtails and continue to bake until fork-tender, about another 1 hour 15 minutes.
For the pickled red onions: Meanwhile, add the red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, salt, sugar, allspice, dried oregano, pepper, cumin, thyme and 1 cup water to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the red onions and bring back to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside for at least 20 minutes before serving. (Keep remaining pickled red onions in a mason jar or another airtight container.)
Serve the smothered oxtails over rice, mashed potatoes or grits with a few pickled red onions and a slice of hatch chile cornbread.

Cook’s Note

This can be made gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour. The size of oxtails vary so ask your butcher to combine ones similar in size for even cooking.