Easy Oxtail Flatbread Recipe

What is Oxtail Flatbread?

Oxtail flatbread is a combination of shredded stewed oxtail meat, a flatbread, shredded cheese, garlic sauce, and for balance, a sweet plantain topped with bell peppers. I consider myself to be an oxtail enthusiast and I thought what better way to celebrate my favorite cut of meat than to marry two concepts: oxtail and flatbread. Now I know oxtail is expensive these days and you may be hesitant to experiment with it, but this oxtail flatbread is easy to make, delicious, and won’t disappoint!

Is flatbread easy to make?

Flatbread is super easy to make. You don’t need yeast and you can make it with 5 simple ingredients: all purpose flour, salt, butter, baking powder, and water. You can shallow pan fry it in butter or you can use oil.

Why is oxtail so expensive?

Oxtail became the secret that got out. This once discarded cut of meat has risen in popularity over the last decade, which in turn created a demand, and resulted in higher prices. This cut of meat is so delicious, it’s a wonder this secret was kept for so long. With the rise of social media which surely created more awareness, and restaurants choosing to offer this cut of meat on their menu to attract customers, oxtail was bound to increase in price.

How do you make the Oxtail for the Flatbread?

The first order of business is to cook the oxtail. Oxtail is a tough cut of meat, and requires patience to tenderize. My favorite pot to cook oxtail in is a dutch oven. Here is an affiliate link to one of my favorites: https://amzn.to/3SRnK9X A caldero or dutch pot is also one of my favorite pots I use to get the job done. Here is an affiliate link to one I use often: https://amzn.to/3wzLR5O It’s important to use a quality pot because these pots are excellent heat conductors, are great at maintaining temperature, and allow for more even cooking. The oxtail is seasoned and braised first, then slow cooked for approximately 2 hours after adding fresh seasonings.

Oxtail Recipe

Ingredients

-4 lbs Oxtail

-1/2 onion, chopped

-1 Scallion

-6 Garlic Cloves

-Few Sprigs of Thyme

-1 tbsp All Purpose Seasoning

-1 tbsp Oxtail seasoning or meat seasoning (see link here if you don’t have: https://amzn.to/3IjdUbW )

-1 tbsp Onion Powder

-1 tbsp Garlic Powder

-1 1/2 tbsp Gravy Master Browning (see link here if you don’t have: https://amzn.to/42Wrtba )

-1/4 cup of Canola Oil

Directions:

Trim excess fat from oxtail, wash & pat dry. In a mixing bowl, add your all purpose seasoning, oxtail seasoning, onion & garlic powder, browning, and combine well. Also add freshly chopped onion, thyme, garlic, and scallion. I recommend that you use your hands to combine the ingredients until all pieces are well seasoned. Place your dutch oven on low/medium flame and warm the pot for 3 minutes. Next, add the oil and warm for another 3 minutes. Add the oxtail (minus the onion, thyme, scallion, and garlic) and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, occasionally stirring so that all pieces are browned. After 45 minutes, most of the liquid that has sprung from the oxtail should be evaporated. Add 3 cups of water, the scallion, thyme, onion & garlic you kept to the side and stir. At this point, it may be desirable to skim visible fat and add a teaspoon of all purpose seasoning & garlic powder to increase flavor. Place in the oven on 300 degrees for 2 hours or use your crockpot!

Flatbread Recipe

Ingredients

-2 cups of All Purpose Flour

-3 tbsp Cold Butter (divided)

-1 tsp Salt

-1/2 tbsp Baking Powder

-1/2 cup water

Directions

You can make this flatbread while the oxtail cooks in the oven. Add all purpose flour, butter, salt, and baking powder to your dish. Use your hands and fingers to work the butter into the flour. Squeeze the butter and flour into your hands until all the butter is evenly spread into the flour and is flattened. Slowly pour the water and knead the flour until you have a firm mound of dough. Cover with a wet paper towel and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cut the dough into 6 or 7 sections and using a rolling pin, roll each section flat. Your shape doesn’t have to be perfect! In a shallow frying pan, place your heat on low/medium and add 2 tbsp of oil (type of oil doesn’t matter). Place the flatbread into the pan and fry on each side for 2 minutes at a time. This is optional, but you can brush each side of the flatbread with a garlic & herb butter for added flavor.

Optional Toppings:

Once your flatbread has been made and your oxtail cooked, you can add a garlic aoili sauce (I recommend Hellmann’s, available at Walmart) a fried plantain for a sweet & savory flavor, then add shredded pieces of oxtail to each flatbread. Top with shredded mozzarella and broil for 5 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit or just until cheese has melted. Top with diced bell peppers and enjoy!