Braised Ox Tail (Recipe)

I've been trying to re-create one of my favorite ox tail dishes from my favorite food truck, Go Streatery. I don't think this is 100% the same, but I think it's pretty darn close. Here's what I did.

I first took 2 lbs. of ox tails and trimmed off as much fat as I could. Ox tail can be found at your local latin or asian market. I think even Costco carries them now too. I then put them at the bottom of my slow cooker. In a 4-cup capacity measuring cup, I added 3/4 cup dry sherry, 3/4 cup port wine, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 cup red wine vinegar, 1/8 cup tomato paste, 1/8 cup dijon mustard, 2 heaping tbsp. dark brown sugar, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. I then whisked everything together and poured it over the ox tails. The ox tails should be completely submerged in the liquid. After that I added 2 dry bay leaves, one onion (quartered) and two large carrots (cut in half) on top. The veggies serve a dual purpose: keeping the ox tails submerged and also flavoring the sauce. I then put the lid on and let it braise on low in the slow cooker for 14 hours.

After the 14 hours, I turned the slow cooker off, discarded the onion and carrots and skimmed off as much fat off the top as I could. I then removed the ox tails with a slotted spoon and served them over steamed rice. To the remaining liquid, I added 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, stirred that in, poured this gravy over each dish, sprinkled some fresh lemon zest over the top and chowed down. Not exactly the same, but quite tasty in its own right.