Rabo encendido or rabo guisado is a rich, vegetable-rich spicy oxtail stew recipe. This is a very delectable dish that we typically serve on special occasions due to the time it takes to prepare. I can tell you, however, that every minute it takes to make it is worth it in the end.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 16, 2004
Why we ❤️ it
This rabo guisado dominicano is one of a few spicy dishes in our cuisine. It is a very rich, very strongly-flavored stew. If you ever have a bunch of people showing up for dinner, and a lot of time on your hands, this is a stew that should be in your arsenal.
And if you've never tried oxtail, then you've missed out on an amazing thing. Oxtail is a creamy, tender, flaky beef cut with tons of flavor. You need to start hitting up your butcher for that good stuff and putting it on rotation.
What's rabo encendido?
Rabo encendido is Spanish for "tail on fire," translated literally, and is a stew made from oxtail (beef tail) with a rich tomato sauce.
Though popular in the Dominican Republic, Rabo encendido is also a dish served in Cuba, and it makes an appearance on our list of Dominican dishes with strange names.
Rabo guisado (oxtail stew).
Serving suggestions
I love serving this with Arroz blanco (Dominican rice), some avocado slices, and some Tostones (twice-fried plantains). Other great side dish choices are Yuca hervida (boiled cassava) or Guineítos (savory green bananas).
Some love a bit of Casabe (cassava bread) on the side.
Top tips
- Pressure cooker: You can shorten the preparation time using a pressure cooker. Without the pressure cooker, getting the meat tender enough (it has to fall off the bone) may take over an hour. With the pressure cooker, it will take about 30 minutes. There are more instructions in the recipe.
- Spiciness: If you are unsure how you will like it with the Scotch bonnet pepper (they are very spicy), use a bit of your favorite hot sauce or a sprinkling of red pepper flakes instead, and add to taste.
- Storing and reheating: Like most soups and stews, the flavors in this one develop and mature if stored overnight in the fridge, and leftovers are always appreciated. It freezes well, too, provided it is done in an airtight container or bag. You can reheat it on the stovetop before serving.
About this recipe
The oxtail is seasoned in a marinade with ground oregano, cubanelle pepper, garlic paste, onion, cilantro, and other herbs. The meat is then braised until flaky and can be pulled off the bone with just a fork. Then, it is finished by making a thick sauce with tomato sauce or tomato paste and some vegetables.
Some ingredients are a must, while others are optional and vary from home to home. Some people, for example, prefer red bell pepper over cubanelle pepper. Cubans love adding some bay leaves while it's braising (good stuff, do that if you have any).
Some people love some allspice berries in theirs, but I reserve that for other soups like Sopa boba (Dominican vegetable soup) and Sopa de hueso (beef bone soup).
Rabo guisado is a dish that every home makes differently, and each home has its own version of this dish; some are simpler, and some are more complex. This is my preferred combination. Feel free to adapt it to your own family's taste and tradition.
Do you have a different way to make rabo guisado o encendido? Let me know in the comments!
Video
Recipe
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Rabo Encendido or Rabo Guisado [Video+Recipe] Oxtail Stew
Ingredients
- 4 lbs oxtail cut in the joints, [1.8 kg]
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2¼ tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, (soy, corn, or peanut)
- 2 diced carrot
- 1 cup boiled chickpeas
- ¼ cup pitted green olives
- 2 large red onion, chopped
- 2 cubanela (cubanelle pepper), (cubanelle) peppers, chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme (fresh), (optional) remove the sticks, we'll just use the leaves
- 8 tomato, chopped
- 1 cup tomato sauce, or 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 2 celery stalk, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, or habanero, crushed
- 4 sprigs parsley, or cilantro, minced
Instructions
1. Seasoning
To season the oxtail, place it in a large bowl and add oregano, black pepper, lime juice, and a tablespoon of salt. Let it rest covered in the fridge for an hour or two.
2. Cooking the oxtail
- Once it has rested, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or, preferably, a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.Stir in oxtail and cook stirring until it browns. It may release some liquid, just let it evaporate eventually and cook until it browns.
3. Cooking the oxtail
- After browning the oxtail, add a cup of water, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered until the meat is very tender, uncovering and stirring every 5 minutes or so, and adding small amounts of water as it becomes necessary to prevent it from scorching.This may take about an hour (or more), depending on the quality and freshness of the oxtail. You can shorten the time by using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. See the instructions in the notes below.
4. Make the sauce
- When the meat is very tender (test with a fork), let the water reduce and add the carrots, chickpeas, olives, onion, cubanelle pepper, thyme, tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, garlic, and Scotch bonnet pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring, until onions become translucent. Add 1 ¼ cup of water, and simmer covered until the carrots are cooked through.
5. Serving
- Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the parsley, then remove from the heat.Serve hot. Oxtail has a lot of collagen, so it will start to congeal once cooled down.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More beef recipes
Check out all our meat recipes for tasty, tender Dominican beef dishes. Don't miss our popular res guisada, the wonderful Sancocho stew, Dominican meatballs, Carne ripiada, a tasty Dominican pulled beef dish, and the unique Lengua guisada, or stewed tongue beef.
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