Beef oxtail

Brown the pieces first, then braise them covered in stock or water at a gentle simmer for about 3–4 hours, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. A pressure cooker usually takes about 45–60 minutes at high pressure.

Allow about 300–400 g of raw, bone-in oxtail per person for a main course; much of that weight is bone. Serve it with plenty of vegetables, beans or potatoes.

Trim off thick, hard pieces of fat, but leave a little: it helps enrich the slow-cooked sauce. For a less greasy stew, chill it after cooking and lift off the solid layer of fat before reheating.

Oxtail soup and slow-braised oxtail stew are familiar ways to serve it. The gelatin-rich cooking liquid also makes a full-bodied gravy for mash, rice or crusty bread.

Yes. Brown the pieces first for deeper flavour, then cook them with stock and aromatics on low for 8–10 hours, or until the meat is tender and coming away from the bone.

Keep raw oxtail covered in the fridge and cook it within a couple of days, or freeze it for longer storage. Refrigerate cooked oxtail promptly in a covered container and use within three days; reheat until steaming hot.

Yes, but allow longer cooking: oxtail has bones and connective tissue that need slow braising to soften, while beef neck is mostly meat. Oxtail releases gelatin into the sauce, giving it a richer, more coating texture.

Despite the name, oxtail sold for cooking generally comes from cattle, not specifically from a castrated male ox. It is cut into round pieces containing bone, meat and connective tissue.