Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lb oxtail segments
- Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp clarified butter
- 2 tbsp Sacia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large yellow onion, medium dice
- 2 large carrots, medium dice
- 3-4 ribs celery, medium dice
- 12 cloves garlic, divided
- 3 cups (1 – 28 oz can) Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, divided
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
- Beef stock, as needed
- Zest of 2 lemons
For the Creamy Polenta:
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups polenta
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup Parmegiano Regiano, fine grated
- Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 350ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
Preheat your Lodge 7.5 Quart Enameled Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the clarified butter. Season oxtails with salt and Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt and fresh ground black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge oxtails, shaking off excess then transferring to the hot dutch oven. Sear and brown on all sides, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer oxtail segments to a plate and repeat with the remaining oxtail segments.
Add the Saica Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the dutch oven. Stir in onions, carrots, celery and crushed cloves of garlic and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from bottom of pot until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add about 1/3 of the bunch of parsley to the dutch oven, as well as the thyme and bay leaf. Pour the white wine over the veggies and bring to a simmer.
Add the Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes. Return the oxtail segments to the dutch oven. If there is not enough liquid to cover most of the oxtail segments, then add some beef stock. The beef does not need to be fully submerged.
Transfer the dutch oven to the grill. Cook, checking the liquid level occasionally. If the liquid reduces all the way, add more beef stock. Cook until meat is nearly falling off the bone, about 2.5-3 hours. If the liquid is still fairly runny, transfer oxtails to a plate and cover with aluminum foil and leave the pot in the cooker until liquid is reduced/thickened.
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In the last 30 minutes of the cook, prepare the polenta. Bring the 8 cups of water to a simmer in a pot. Add the polenta, slowly, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the polenta is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring and scraping frequently with a wooded spoon. When the polenta is tender, add the butter and cheese and stir until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the gremolata, mince the remaining parsley leaves and garlic and toss in a bowl with the lemon zest. Transfer oxtails back to pot, sprinkle with the parsley mixture, then spoon over liquid, and cover to keep warm. Serve the Oxtail Osso Buco over the creamy polenta.
