BBQ smoked oxtail

oxtail · verified system recipe · Caribbean / Southern soul cooking

Pit temp
275°F
Wrap at
190°F
Pull at
205°F
Total time
~6.3 hr

Phase timeline

180m
180m
Sear + smoke (bare)Braise (foil pan)Reduce + resttotal: 6h 20m

Step-by-step

  1. 1. Sear + smoke (bare)

    → 175°F · ~180 min

    Sear all sides in cast iron first. Then 275°F pit, oak. Tough connective tissue takes time.

  2. 2. Braise (foil pan)

    → 205°F · ~180 min

    Transfer to foil pan with 1 cup red wine + 1 cup beef stock + onions + carrots. Cover, finish to 205°F probe-tender.

  3. 3. Reduce + rest

    ~20 min

    Pull oxtails, reduce the braising liquid to a glaze on the stovetop. Spoon over the meat. Falls off the bone.

Rub
Salt + pepper + paprika + smoked cumin
Wrap method
foil_pan_with_wine
Rest method
rest_in_braising_liquid
Minimum rest
20 min

📐 Scale for guests

Target weight
4.0 lb
1 lb/guest
Cuts needed
1
~5 lb per cut
Cook time / cut
6h 20m
+ 20m rest

Each cut cooks at its own rate — even if you double up, plan the same hours. For very large crowds, run multiple cuts in parallel and stagger by 30 min.

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