Chipotle Adobo Tacos with Oxtail
These Chipotle Adobo Tacos made with Oxtail will have you licking the plate for the last drop! The delicious sauce is smooth, and it enhances the Oxtail flavors. Indeed, oxtail tacos are a delicious thing!
This is a sponsored partnership with RUMBA® MEATS, recipes and comments are 100% mine.
Did you know that Oxtail is one of the most delicious and flavorful parts of the cow? As a chef friend one mine once said, the two ends of the cow are the best ones, and people tend to ignore them! I’m talking about the beef tongue and beef oxtail. They are a tasty delicacy that we need to experience from time to time.
This recipe is my way of showing you that oxtail isn’t only enjoyed in stews or soups; it can be used in many other traditional dishes as a substitute for different cuts of meats.
Below I give you a few different options for cooking the meat, like using a regular Dutch oven or a pressure cooker or instant pot. You can even cook it overnight in your slow cooker, just remember to remove the bones and shred the meat when serving.
Check in your local supermarket for RUMBA® Oxtail packages. If you live in the northeast, you can find them at your nearest Giant Store in MD, PA, WV, or VA, that’s actually where I first discovered Rumba’s products when I was living in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Enjoy the recipe!
How to make Chipotle Adobo Tacos with Oxtail
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the RUMBA® oxtail pieces, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in a Dutch oven or soup pot, then cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the meat is tender and you can remove the bones effortlessly. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- While the meat is cooking, roast the guajillo peppers and the garlic clove over a skillet over medium heat. The guajillo peppers will be ready in a matter of seconds; remove them when you see that they start changing color and releasing their aroma.
- Place guajillo peppers in a bowl with warm water to soak for 20 minutes.
- Roast the tomatoes in the same skillet; turn to have an even roasting. Once they are ready, chop and place in your blender along with the roasted garlic and chipotle pepper, just make sure to remove the garlic’s charred skin.
- Drain the peppers and place in your blender with the tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, and ½ cup of the oxtail cooking broth or water. Process until you have a sauce with a beautiful texture.
- Heat lard or oil in a medium-size skillet, add the onion slices and fry until transparent. Pour the sauce in and simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Discard the bones from the oxtail, add all the meat pieces to the sauce, and keep cooking for another 8 minutes. Season with salt and more pepper, if needed according to your taste.
- To serve, warm corn tortillas over a hot comal/skillet, spoon on some of the oxtail adobo sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro, onion, and radishes.
CHIPOTLE ADOBO TACOS WITH OXTAIL
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds RUMBA® oxtail
- ¼ of a medium white onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 Bay leaf
FOR THE ADOBO
- 3 Guajillo Peppers cleaned, with the veins and seeds removed
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 Plum Tomatoes about 6.5 oz.
- 1 Chipotle in adobo the canned version*
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of lard or vegetable oil
- ½ medium-size onion cut into slices
- Salt to taste
- 12 small corn tortillas or 8 medium-size flour tortillas
TO GARNISH:
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped radishes
- Spicy salsa of your choice
Instructions
- Place the RUMBA® oxtail pieces, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in a Dutch oven or soup pot, then cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the meat is tender and you can remove the bones effortlessly.
- While the meat is cooking, roast the guajillo peppers and the garlic clove over a skillet over medium heat. The guajillo peppers will be ready in a matter of seconds; remove them when you see that they start changing color and releasing their aroma.
- Place guajillo peppers in a bowl with warm water to soak for 20 minutes.
- Roast the tomatoes in the same skillet; turn to have an even roasting (this step will take 5-6 minutes). Once they are ready, chop and place in your blender along with the roasted garlic and chipotle pepper, just make sure to remove the garlic’s charred skin.
- Drain the peppers and place in your blender with the tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, and ½ cup of the oxtail cooking broth or water. Process until you have a sauce with a beautiful texture.
- Heat lard or oil in a medium-size skillet, add the onion slices and fry until transparent. Pour the sauce in and simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Discard the bones from the oxtail, add all the meat pieces to the sauce, and keep cooking for another 8 minutes. Season with salt and more pepper, if needed according to your taste.
- To serve, warm corn tortillas over a hot comal/skillet, spoon on some of the oxtail adobo sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro, onion, and radishes.
Notes
- This sauce renders a mild adobo; if you want it to be spicier, add an extra Chipotle pepper.
- If cooking in regular stove top type of pot, the meat will take about one hour and 45 minutes to cook. If you use a pressure cooker, it will need 50 minutes. For an Instant Pot, cook for 40 minutes.
Nutrition
Provecho!
Mely Martinez.
Leave a comment and share your experience with the recipe.
This recipe was made in collaboration with RUMBA® MEATS. I’m very selective with whom I partner up with as I don’t want to overwhelm my readers with products & sponsorships. Therefore, if you see a company or product I’m working with, it’s because they rock! They help this little blog of mine keep producing delish recipes and showing you the things I love.
Check the following link for coupons in your next purchase. GIANT
If you like adobos check this other recipe to make your own Adobo salsa.
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Hello Rick,
The print recipe will be added today. Thank you for your patience.
Hey Mely,
I always love your recipes, your blog is my go to for Mexican food! Do you have a guess on about how long the oxtails take to cook? I’m planning on making this tomorrow and just want to plan ahead for timing. Thank you!
Caroline
Hello Carolina,
If you plan to cook in a regular pot on your stove. It will take about 1hr and 45 minutes up to 2 hours. On the notes, I mention the estimated time using the pressure cooker, Instant Pot, and if using a slow cooker, you can leave it overnight for 6 hours.
Ok great muchas gracias!
They were serving these at work last week (I guess I know where they got their recipe), and they were amazing. I’m going to give them a try. Love me some oxtails.
Melt your recipes inspire me to try new things like oxtails all the time.
Hello Greg,
Glad to know about it. I hope you try this recipe.
Happy cooking!
Can you recommend some pepper substitutions for the guajillo peppers as they do not have them here
Thanks
Hello Sam,
If you can find the guajillo peppers and only find canned chipotles, then add more tomatoes and only use chipotle peppers. It will be a little different but still really tasty. And about your other questions, yes, guajillo peppers are dried peppers. Happy cooking!
Hi! I love your recipes! Can you tell me when to add the chipotle?
Hello Valerie,
You add to the rest of the ingredients in the blender before processing to form a salsa. Provecho!
Thanks! Cannot wait to try this. The oxtail are cooking and smell delicious!
Again, we love your recipes!
Hello Valerie,
Use the leftover cooking broth. Use a strainer to pour over small cups, garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. If you like spicy food, also add chopped serrano pepper. Provecho!