# What is an ox? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518 "2022-09-30T20:51:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/21 "2022-09-30T22:28:10Z")
AKA forever lol. Edit: I was just being hyperbolic. It can be a task, that is all I meant. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/22 "2022-09-30T22:30:46Z")
Forty-five minutes to an hour in a pressure cooker. Doesn’t seem like forever to me, as any stew or stock I make takes at least that much amount of time if I don’t use a pressure cooker. And it’s pretty much hands-off cooking. Set a pot up to go after lunch, walk away for a few hours, and it’s ready for dinner. There’s nothing more “homey” for me than a pot of stew cooking in the house on a fall day as I work away. A long cook is 6-12+ hours for me, when I have to wake up at the crack of dawn to stoke the fire and throw my pork shoulder or brisket on. 🙂 And some people do brisket at lower temps much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/23 "2022-09-30T22:33:15Z")
Can castration cause an ox to turn blue? Or did Babe still have a pair and no sex life? ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/24 "2022-09-30T22:33:23Z")
No I am right there with you. Sometimes, there is no time that is all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/25 "2022-09-30T22:34:52Z")
Sure, it ain’t throwing a sandwich together or frying up a chicken breast, yes. It’s pretty easy, just takes time. Dammit, now I want some Jamaican ox-tail stew, but I can’t bring myself to pay $10/lb for oxtail. ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/26 "2022-09-30T22:37:01Z")
This thread is becoming an oxtail recipe thread. I am fine with that ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/27 "2022-09-30T22:39:54Z")
As a “peasant food”, oxtail used to be fairly cheap around here (NYC suburbs) and in the Toronto suburbs too, where I have family and spend several weeks a year. In the past few years it’s gotten really expensive. Around 2019 I was in a supermarket in Toronto and it was on sale for $6.99/lb, reduced from $9.99, and several customers were lined up waiting to buy it. We got to talking and they all bemoaned the high price but really wanted it for their traditional West Indian or Filipino dishes. Last week I saw it in the supermarket near me for $10.99. Unbelievable, more expensive than some of the steaks! I have to wonder whether it’s a supply and demand issue? It’s not that big a part of the ox, and maybe there are more and more people (at least where I shop) who want it. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/28 "2022-09-30T22:40:42Z")
I guess if you’re making stock, you take the bones out. But taking the bones out of oxtail stew would be a crime against humanity. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/29 "2022-10-01T00:26:13Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Around 2019 I was in a supermarket in Toronto and it was on sale for $6.99/lb, reduced from $9.99, Around here, in Chicago, I want to say I noticed the premium on oxtails as far back as the mid-to-late 2000s. They were probably just about $4.99/lb back then, but this was more than all the stewing cuts (shank was about $1.49-1.99/lb; chuck about $1.99-$2.49/lb; short rib at $2.49-$3.59/lb) and on the lower end of steak prices (which started just about $5.99/lb.) This is going by my middle-aged memory, so take with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/30 "2022-10-01T00:58:53Z")
Really? Not even in this line? > Oxtail is a [gelatin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin)-rich meat, which is usually slow-cooked as a [stew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew)[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxtail#cite_note-2) or [braised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braised). It is a traditional [stock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_(food)) base for [oxtail soup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxtail_soup). ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/31 "2022-10-01T01:42:16Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Saw a couple of oxen driven down the street in Williamsburg many years back. Unimaginably huge. Really made an impression. For the pioneers heading west, one of the fundamental decisions was whether to use oxen or horses to pull the wagons and plows. Oxen are stronger, but horses are faster. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/32 "2022-10-01T01:55:11Z")
Oxen required less food than horses. They are more efficient at converting food to work than horses. I’d be surprised if draft horses were significantly faster than oxen at pulling wagons and plows. I think there must have been other reasons for selecting horses. ---
**Author:** ![WellHelloThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@WellHelloThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WellHelloThere)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/33 "2022-10-01T02:10:32Z")
A horse is more prestigious. That is always a factor. I would think an ox would be stronger, I am no expert though ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/34 "2022-10-01T03:15:36Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Oxen required less food than horses. They are more efficient at converting food to work than horses. I’d be surprised if draft horses were significantly faster than oxen at pulling wagons and plows. I think there must have been other reasons for selecting horses. All of my ancestors crossed the plains to Utah or Idaho as Mormons. Most by ox chart although a few were in the handcart companies (that ran into [severe problems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_and_Martin_handcart_companies)). [This article](https://www.thechurchnews.com/1997/7/5/23252021/oxen-played-role-of-unsung-hero-in-migration-west#:~:text=Oxen%20were%20chosen%20over%20horses,heavy%20wagons%20over%20rough%20terrain.) explains it well. > [@](#): > > Oxen were chosen over horses to pull the wagons because of their strength, and because they were noted for being easier to work. They were generally docile, gentle, easily guided by a child, and strong enough to lug heavy wagons over rough terrain. > > According to an 1862 article in the Deseret News by a Massachusetts ploughman, oxen were more patient than horses. They proved to be less susceptible to disease than horses. They could survive on coarse hay, straw and husks in the winter that horses could not, and they could travel 1,600 miles without being shoed. Oxen moved more slowly, but had greater torque than horses when hauling loads. > > But perhaps the most distinctive difference between horses and oxen lies in the equipment used to yoke the animals. A draft horse’s harness was complex and required a skilled driver to operate, while no reins or harness were required to drive an ox team. Often the Mormon church leaders would travel by horse carts because of the speed, but the masses used oxen, or pushed and pulled carts by hand. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/35 "2022-10-01T03:42:29Z")
The part about the harnesses occured to me. You would need more horses than oxen and those horse rigs were expensive to purchase and maintain. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/36 "2022-10-01T03:52:46Z")
And drive. The church leaders or wealthy could afford to hire drivers for them but the average settler could not. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/37 "2022-10-01T04:17:59Z")
Also, the oxen are only $11 apiece (or $12, if you don’t know where to shop). Horses are like, $92-- I’m not even sure-- I traded for them, never bought them from a store. Mules, a third option, are about $45. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/38 "2022-10-01T04:48:16Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Also, the oxen are only $11 apiece (or $12, if you don’t know where to shop). Are those current prices? Surely not. I mean, if nothing else, an ox is about a thousand pounds of meat and hide, right? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/39 "2022-10-01T05:09:56Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > I have to wonder whether it’s a supply and demand issue? It’s not that big a part of the ox, and maybe there are more and more people (at least where I shop) who want it. Yep. There was this trend of ‘upscaling’ peasant and ethnic and ‘low-class’ foods for a while. Oxtail got really popular, and the only difference between ‘garbage part of the animal’ and ‘luxury part of the animal’ is demand. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518/40 "2022-10-01T18:32:06Z")
So if I don’t castrate my bull, and yoke him to a cart, he’s an ox? If I yoke my cow beside him, she’s also an ox? I always assumed an ox was what a male cattle individual destined to be a bull became after he got castrated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-ox/972518.md?page=3)