German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (2024)

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  • European Food
  • German Food
  • German Cooking Basics

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Jennifer McGavin

Jennifer McGavin

Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.

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Updated on 12/3/21

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German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (1)

Traditionally served as a first course for big events like wedding suppers, Christmas Day, or New Year's, German Oxtail Soup is a special treat. A rich beef and vegetable broth with paprika and pepper to add a little bite and Madeira and cream to round everything out, this soup takes awhile to make but is a real taste extravaganza.

There are two main versions of Oxtail Soup, one is a clear broth with beef bits, but this recipe makes a "gebundene" version, thickened with a little flour and cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 pounds soup bones

  • 2 to 3 pounds oxtail, bones included

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 parsley root, or parsnip, peeled and chopped

  • 3 cups chopped celery root (celeriac) or 3 to 4 stalks celery, chopped

  • 1 to 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced

  • 1 to 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 4 carrots, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoons sweet ground paprika

  • 1 cup dry red wine

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 5 juniper berries

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed

  • 1 ounce dry sherry, or Madeira

  • 1 dash cayenne pepper, optional

  • 3/4 cup cream

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or brown rice flour

  • 1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried, optional garnish

  • Baguette, optional for serving

Steps to Make It

At least 6 hours before serving or the day before serving:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Wash soup bones and oxtail bones free of any debris and pat dry. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet and brown bones with meat on all sides at medium heat.

  3. Meanwhile, clean and chop your vegetables. If you can't find parsley root, celeriac, and leeks, increase the celery, onions, and carrots to make 6 cups of chopped vegetables. These are to flavor the strong, beef broth and will be discarded later.

  4. Remove the beef from the pan, add oil if necessary and brown the vegetables for several minutes. Add the tomato paste and the ground paprika to brown for 1 minute. Do not let them burn! Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits.

  5. If the pan is large enough, add the meat back into the vegetables. Otherwise, find a stock pan to hold all the bones and the vegetables, or split into two pots to simmer.

  6. Add the whole herbs and spices and one teaspoon of salt and some ground pepper. Add water to cover everything and let the broth simmer for 2 to 4 hours or more on the lowest setting on your stove.

Two Hours Before Serving:

  1. When the meat is fork tender, remove the bones to a platter to cool.

  2. Pour the broth through a strainer and discard the vegetables. You should have 6 to 8 cups of broth.

  3. Cool the broth and remove the layer of fat on the top. This can also be done overnight, making this a good soup to make ahead and finish just before serving.

  4. When the bones are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and chop into bite-sized pieces. Discard the rest of the bones and cartilage. Refrigerate shredded meat until the last step.

One Half Hour Before Serving:

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Reheat the broth gently on the stove. Add 2 tablespoons of Madeira or dry sherry. Add some freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Add salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

  3. Mix a few tablespoons of cream with the flour to make a slurry. Pour into the gently simmering soup, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Add the rest of the cream and the meat. Heat through, but do not boil.

  5. Serve as a first course with awarm baguette and parsley sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

  • German Cooking Basics
  • Beef Mains
  • Soups
  • Vegetable Recipes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
994Calories
65g Fat
18g Carbs
78g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories994
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 65g84%
Saturated Fat 27g135%
Cholesterol 295mg98%
Sodium 558mg24%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 4g13%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 78g
Vitamin C 9mg46%
Calcium 126mg10%
Iron 8mg43%
Potassium 1280mg27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Tomato
  • appetizer
  • german
  • birthdays

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German-Style Oxtail Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do Germans eat oxtails? ›

Common soups in German restaurants include oxtail, beef or chicken broth with noodles, dumplings, or rice, goulash, split pea, cream of asparagus, turtle soup (Echte Schildkrötensuppe) and cream of lobster.

What country is oxtail soup from? ›

Why do you brown oxtails before cooking? ›

Browning your oxtails will not cook the meat. Instead, it will enhance its color and aroma by caramelizing its exterior. Browning beef oxtails in a hot skillet before braising will also add rich depth and flavor to the meat.

What is special about oxtail soup? ›

Oxtail contains a lot of connective tissue, but also bones and fat. All of these benefit from a long cooking time in a moist environment. Bones contain a lot of flavor (it's why you often use bones from fish and meat to make stock) as well as gelatin, that slowly gets out while cooking in enough moisture.

What is the national soup of Germany? ›

German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)

Is oxtail soup healthy? ›

Oxtail is rich in Collagen, a vital protein for our body's growth and repair. Oxtail is high in fat so an ideal energy source for a Ketogenic, Paleo, or Carnivore Diet. With over 70% fat, Oxtail is Ideal for anyone on a high fat / low carb or no-carb diet. Oxtail must be slow-cooked to break down the connective tissue.

Why is oxtail soup so expensive? ›

Why is it more expensive to make an oxtail dish now? It's simple supply and demand. Each cow only has around six pounds of viable oxtail to go around, compared to the other 400 plus pounds of viable cuts you can get from the rest of the cow.

Is oxtail from an ox or a cow? ›

Oxtail is the tail of a cow. A long time ago, it came from the tail of an ox, but now it comes from the tail of a cow of either sex. The tail is skinned and cut into sections.

How long should you boil oxtails? ›

Fill with enough water to cover oxtails and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook oxtails until tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Why is my oxtail so tough? ›

As the meat braises, the collagen inside the cut cooks down and becomes gelatin; as it dissolves, the meat's fibers relax and tenderize. However, if the cooking temperature is too high, these muscle fibers will shrink and seize up, toughening.

Can diabetics eat oxtails? ›

Indulge in a culinary delight that marries rich flavors with health-conscious choices with our Recipe for Low-Carb Braised Oxtails. This dish reimagines the classic oxtail braised to perfection, transforming it into a diabetic-friendly option without compromising on taste.

Is oxtail bad for cholesterol? ›

Oxtail Nutritional Profile

Contains monounsaturated fats, reducing bad cholesterol levels and supporting cell development. A good source of iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus, supporting blood cell production, immune function, antioxidant activity, and bone health.

Why do you soak oxtail before cooking? ›

By soaking and blanching the oxtail before cooking any impurities are removed. To cook: Oxtail requires long, slow cooking to produce tender, succulent meat.

What country eats oxtail? ›

Oxtail soup is a popular British cuisine, but it does have variations in a number of other countries including South America, The Caribbean, Africa and China.

What is the most popular meat eaten in Germany? ›

In Germany, the most consumed meat is pork. Germans are known for their love of pork, and it is a staple in many traditional dishes. Some popular examples of pork dishes in Germany include schnitzel, which is a breaded and fried pork cutlet, and bratwurst, a type of sausage made from pork, veal, or beef.

What meat do Germans eat the most? ›

Pork was still the most consumed type of meat in Germany, followed by poultry, then beef and veal. Buying fresh meat may be a guarantee for better quality due to appropriate origins, and therefore contribute to reaching individual sustainable consumption goals.

What is Germany's favorite meat? ›

The average annual meat consumption is 59.7 kg (132 lb) per person. The most common varieties are pork, poultry, and beef. Other varieties of meat are widely available, but are considered to be insignificant. Meat is usually braised; fried dishes also exist, but these recipes usually originate from France and Austria.

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