Oxtail Stew (South African Potjiekos)

A potjiekos is a traditional South African stew, slow cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire. This one combines the richness of oxtails and red wine to provide a delicious, hearty one-pot meal.

Potjiekos has all of the things I like in a good stew: tender and rich meat, sauce that's bursting with deep flavours, subtly-seasoned vegetables, and a good backstory. I've been watching a lot of Game of Thrones lately (well, once a week), and digging into the show's theories and lore, so I'm most interested in the backstory part right now. Let's dig in.

Cast-iron cooking was first popularized in Europe during the 1500s. During the Siege of Leiden, South Holland, in 1573-1574 (part of the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain), the local townspeople turned to communal hodgepodge cooking to survive - in small cast-iron pots, with any meat and vegetables they could find. This communal dish bore the name hutspot, and remains popular today.

Hutspot cooking was carried by Dutch explorers who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope (in present day Cape Town, South Africa) in 1652; over time, the dish started to incorporate new spices brought in from the Dutch East India Company, and took on the name Potjiekos ("small pot food"), using a small three-pronged cast-iron pot called a potjie pot, and cooked over an open fire.

Potjiekos eventually spread throughout South Africa when Voortrekkers (Dutch pioneers), dissatisfied with the then-British colonial administration of Cape Colony, migrated eastwards in 1837 into much of what makes greater South Africa today. Locals appreciated the practicality of potjie pots over their traditional clay pots, and they were integrated into several tribal cuisines - often to cook maize-based porridges such as putu or pap. It's striking to see these medieval cauldrons take root in a place so far from their origin, and it's a testament to the adaptability of humankind.

Today, Potjiekos remains a communal dish, cooked outdoors among friends (and a bottle of wine). If you are comfortable with cooking over an open fire, it's definitely worth the extra effort. For everyone else, adding a bit of liquid smoke can replicate the experience while remaining in the kitchen. I even added Instant Pot instructions below the recipe, for good measure. This dish can be made with any meat, from lamb to chicken to fish, but I prefer the naturally rich flavour that comes from simmering oxtails.

Potjiekos is distinct from traditional stews in that the ingredients are not stirred together until right before serving; instead, the vegetables are layered over the meat and steamed, giving each ingredient its own distinct flavour. Additionally, you don't want to add much liquid to the pot - just enough to cook the oxtails - since the vegetables will release plenty of liquid as they steam.

3-4 lbs oxtail
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. ghee or 1 Tbsp. butter + 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped (about 1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
¾ cup medium-bodied red wine (South African pinot noir or Shiraz/Syrah preferred)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 pinches ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground cardamom or 1 whole green cardamom pod
½ tsp. hickory liquid smoke (optional if cooking over an open fire)
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock
1 lb small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
2 carrots, cut into bite sized chunks
1 zucchini, cut into bite sized chunks
¾ lb Brussels sprouts
½ head cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces (about 1 lb)
½ lb white mushrooms, cut into bite sized chunks
½ lb cherry or grape tomatoes

Pat the oxtails dry using paper towels, then season all over with the salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or deep skillet, warm the ghee over medium heat. Add the oxtails and brown until dark and crisp at the edges, about 3 minutes per side, in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding. Remove the oxtails and set aside, then add the onion to the Dutch oven; sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and stir together until sizzling and aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, liquid smoke, and bay leaf; simmer to deglaze the pan, about 3 minutes, scraping up any cooked bits at the bottom of the Dutch oven as you go.

Return the oxtails to the pot, then add enough chicken stock to reach about ¾ of the way up the oxtails, about 1 cup. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 1½ hours, stirring every once in a while to ensure the oxtails are well coated with the flavourful sauce.

After the oxtails have simmered for 1½ hours, season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste, then add the following vegetables in layers, in this order: potatoes, carrots, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes without stirring, then add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes; simmer for another 30 minutes.

Gently stir the pot to lightly coat the vegetables, then distribute into bowls and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker instructions): follow Steps 1 and 2 using the "Sauté" setting on the pressure cooker, then pressure-cook the oxtails using the "Meat" setting for 40 minutes. Allow to depressurize naturally, then follow Steps 3 and 4 using the "Slow Cooker" (high) setting to finish.

To save time, be sure to measure out the spices into one small bowl, since you'll be dumping them all into the pot at the same time.

For those on the Whole30 plan, or avoiding alcohol, use ¼ cup red wine vinegar plus ½ cup chicken stock in place of the red wine.