Today, a co-worker mentioned that he has seen ox tails, but never an ox. I replied, an ox is what they call cattle when they are used to pull stuff. Its just the tail of a regular cow. Another worker was certain that an ox is a different subspecies, and while I don’t think that is totally true I was wondering if there are specific ox breeds, or beef breeds, particularly in the US.
While the word once meant only the tail of an ox, today it can also refer to the tails of other cattle.
Why would it matter what work the rest of the cow did while alive? Why not call it beef tail, like beef tongue for instance?
I didn’t name it, I just googled the answer for you.
Thanks for your help
Funny you should ask - I was just at a county fair a few weeks ago and saw an ox demonstration. It was massive and trained to wear a halter, which the guy led it around by. He (the guy, not the ox), explained the taxonomy of cattle and how it got to be an ox by way way of castration and training. There was actually a sign explaining all of it.
For all intents and purposes, you’re right. An ox is basically a working version of a steer. However there are some people who get a lot more specific. If you look at the list of breeds considered to be “oxen” you’ll find that many of them are also dairy breeds, including the Holstein, the most popular milk cow in the U.S.
There were a lot more oxen around when oxtail was named. Castrated bulls trained as work animals were ubiquitous once. Now they just get eaten. Most likely your modern oxtail came from a steer, which is a castrated male raised for meat.
Yeah, thanks. That is in line with what I wanted to know. Anyone who knows how the tail became ox tail (and not beef tail or something else) I would be interested to hear it
We have an agreed with the Turkey Farm where we shop. They also raise and butcher a few cattle each year. The oxtails get wrapped and frozen, then they let us know and we pick one up. Oxtail soup is time consuming to make, but it is so good.
How much meat is in an ox tail? Edit: And im sure you have to cook that thing forever
Very little meat per se, but the joints are rich with cartilage and other gelatiny goodness so ideal for stews and rich soups.
If you think about it, you don’t get all that much solid meat in a filling serving of soup or stew.
It sounds like a good thing to make stock with, yeah
As Joep-P’s link explained.
Why oxtail? (One word seems to be the older and preferred variant.) Beef is derived from the French boeuf, which was brought in by the Norman invasion. Middle English oxe existed at least a century earlier.
Oxtail nevertheless is much more recent, seemingly from the late 17th century. Even so, oxtail would be peasant food, not the better parts of a cow. Those latter would be derived from French words and cheaper parts from English words. The peasants were the ones who worked with oxen and ate their parts when their were no longer useful. They likely were the ones who did the naming as well.
The meat itself is delicious with great texture, and the main ingredient in a variety of Latin, Caribbean, and Asian dishes.
I can’t find anything in the wikipedia articles that says that.
Saw a couple of oxen driven down the street in Williamsburg many years back. Unimaginably huge. Really made an impression.
I know about French names for types of meat. If you don’t know why an oxtail is called that, then just say that you think it is tasty.
I buy oxtail from Tesco - it’s fairly cheap. Cook in the slow cooker for three hours on low with assorted veg, some oxo cubes, herbs, soy sauce, salt and Worcester sauce.
Fish the bones out, take off any meat still hanging on and put it back in before liquidising the lot.
Let it cool and put it in the fridge so you can take the solidified fat off the top. Then freeze into portions as soup or stock.
No longer really than any braising cut like shank, chuck, or short rib. About 2-3 hours typically for me.