One of the most delicious cold-weather dishes in Spain is bull tail stew, or rabo de toro. This Spanish recipe is a classic dish served in restaurants throughout the country. My mother-in-law's traditional recipe will show you how to replicate this mouthwatering dish at home!
If you love comforting soups and stews, make sure to try these recipes for Spanish beef stew and Catalan beef stew.
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Introduction
Braised bull tail, oxtail stew, rabo de toro, braised oxtail...this famous Spanish dish goes by many names. I first tried this dish in Cordoba, where rabo de toro is one of the city's most famous dishes. The melt-in-your-mouth meat was covered with thick brown gravy, and next to it was a golden heap of french fries. I was hooked on this comforting stew with the first bite!
Later, I learned my mother-in-law, Antonia, has a great recipe for this stew. Her rabo de toro recipe changes slightly each time, depending on the wine she might have open, and sometimes she'll add pearl onions to the dish as well (a great idea!). But I've decided to share her classic version, which has kept me warm on many occasions.
What Is Rabo de Toro?
Spanish bull tail stew (found on most menus as rabo de toro estofado) is one of Spain's most typical stews.
Although this stew dates back to Roman times, it is actually an Andalusian creation, allegedly inspired in Córdoba. Traditionally made after the bullfights, the dish spread throughout the rest of Spain, and is especially beloved in Madrid, where bullfights are still popular today.
Many bars surrounding the Plaza de Toros (the bullring) in Madrid serve braised bull tail, although they are no longer able to use the tail of the just killed bull. Each restaurant has its own special recipe for Spanish bull tail stew, some using red wine, others opting for Andalusian sherry, or even a bit of brandy.
The bull tail needs to be braised (cooked slowly over low heat) because it is extremely bony, fatty, and tough. But once it cooks long enough, it becomes so tender that it nearly dissolves in your mouth (similar to my Spanish beef stew recipe).
Ingredients
Curious what you need to make rabo de toro? Let's talk about the most important ingredients in this Spanish bull tail stew.
- Bull Tail/Oxtail: Regardless of whether the tail comes from a bull, cow, or ox, this cut of meat is perfect for stewing. Letting it simmer for a long time will turn this tough cut of meat tender and delicious!
- Flour: Dusting the oxtail with flour will help build a thick and delicious sauce, but you can omit if you prefer without an effect on flavor.
- Wine: Make sure you use decent red wine -- nothing fancy, but it should be drinkable. It gives a lot of flavor to the stew!
- Spices: Ginger is not a traditional ingredient, but I love it! Feel free to omit if you prefer. And if you like even more of a spiced flavor, add more cloves.
- Additions: My mother-in-law Antonia sometimes adds mushrooms or pearl onions to this dish after puréeing the sauce.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Wine: Antonia sometimes substitutes some of the red wine for sherry or brandy.
- Oxtail: Oxtail can easily be substituted for osso bucco, beef shanks, beef short ribs on the bone, veal neck, and veal shank.
How to Make
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Season the raw oxtail with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Lightly dust each piece with flour.
- Sear the oxtail on all sides in a heavy skillet filled with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
- Once browned, remove the oxtail and let it rest on a plate.
- Sauté the leek, onion, garlic, red pepper, and tomato for about 10 minutes.
- Add the carrot, bay leaves, ginger, and cloves and cook for another 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the oxtail back to the pot.
- Cover with the red wine and stock, adding a bit more stock if necessary.
- Bring everything to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer covered for 3-4 hours. You'll know it's finished when the sauce has reduced, and the oxtail is super tender. It should be falling off the bone!
- Take the oxtail, bay leaves, and cloves out of the pot and purée the sauce.
- Add the oxtail back to the puréed sauce and heat through. Ideally, enjoy this the next day once the flavors have had a chance to develop even more.
- When you're ready to serve the stew, enjoy it with potatoes or rice.
Recipe FAQs
Oxtail currently comes from a cow (it is cow's tail). In the past, it was the tail of an ox but today we use the term oxtail to mean cow's tail.
Today rabo de toro (oxtail) is considered a delicacy in Spain. It used to be a cheap cut of meat, but nowadays can be quite expensive. It is served at many fine dining restaurants, but also at traditional taverns.
The rule is usually about 1lb. (half a kilo) of oxtail per serving. Remember that much of the oxtail is bone and fat, so you need a bit more than with other cuts of meat.
Oxtail is a very tough cut of meat, which is why it is best for stewing. When stewed for many hours the tough tissues break down and the meat becomes tender and delicious.
Serve
Rabo de toro is traditionally served with homemade french fries at most casual restaurants. You'll also find it served over delicious mashed potatoes (like my Manchego mashed potatoes). It would be perfect served with rice, too.
Because this is such a rich dish, I would recommend pairing a crisp salad or green vegetable with it on the side. In Spain, we don't usually serve anything as a side (apart from the potatoes!), but I always make a simple salad, sautéed spinach, or roasted asparagus.
Lastly -- the wine! This is a rich, hearty dish, so it's perfect paired with a very full-bodied wine. You could serve a Spanish Rioja or Ribera del Duero, or even a Toro or more modern Andalusian red wine.
Expert Tips
- Time is your friend. It might need more than three hours if the meat is tough. It should be tender and falling off the bone when finished, so keep going if in doubt!
- You can use a pressure cooker if you prefer; just adjust the time.
- I recommend puréeing the sauce if you can. It will give you a gorgeous thick gravy that is perfect with this dish.
- Like any great stew, it will taste better the day after you make it. If you have time, wait until the next day to have it, or at least make enough to enjoy leftovers.
More Simple Spanish Stews
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Spanish Bull Tail Stew (Rabo de Toro)
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds rabo de toro (oxtail or bull tail)
- 3 carrots in ¼-inch slices
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 leek diced
- 2-3 ripe tomatoes diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 cups red table wine such as Spanish rioja or tempranillo
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- all-purpose flour to coat the meat
- olive oil for browning and sautéing
Instructions
- Season the bull tail generously with salt and pepper, then lightly dust the meat with flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat, about 2 minutes. Sear each bull tail in the hot oil until nicely browned, about 30 seconds per side, then remove the pieces and let them rest on a plate.
- Sauté the leek, onion, garlic, red pepper, and tomato using the leftover oil until the vegetables are softened and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, bay leaves, ginger, and cloves and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the bull tail back to the pan and cover completely with the wine and stock, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 3-4 hours. It's done when the meat is falling away from the bone. It may need the full 4 hours or longer if the meat is very tough.
- Once the meat is tender, remove it and purée the sauce with an immersion blender. (This is optional, but does make the gravy extra thick.)
- Spoon the puréed sauce over the rabo de toro. Serve it hot with homemade french fries or mashed potatoes for an authentic Spanish meal.
Notes
- Time is your friend, it might need more than three hours. It should be tender and falling off the bone when finished. Keep going if in doubt!
- You can use a pressure cooker if you prefer, just adjust the time.
- Some people don't purée the sauce, but I would really recommend it. It will give you a gorgeous thick gravy that is perfect with this dish.
- Like any great stew, it will taste better the day after you make it. If you have time, wait until the next day to have it, or at least make enough to enjoy leftovers.
Brigit
Hello, I made this last night (for dinner today) and it looks great. My Rabo de toro must have been tough as it took me 5+ hrs before it was falling from the bone. One quick question - the flavor from the wine is still very strong - stronger than I remember it when served in Spain. Do you have a recommendation for how I could tone it down?
Yury
Oh, the star rating do not seem to work, i mean to give it all the stars lol
Yury
Hi. Usually such dishes are cooked in the oven, no?
I'm making it now as per the recipe, but was just curious 🙂
Lauren Aloise
It's a stew, so traditionally just in the pot. Some do start it in the oven, but not at all necessary!
Jerry
You mention using a cast iron WOK, do you mean just to brown the meat or to use for the whole recipe.
Really looking forward to gaming this recipe.
Jerry
Denia
Spain
Lauren Aloise
Either way (browning is the most important part) can also use a good heavy pan like stainless steel.
Yvonne russer
Just followed the recipe plus a dash of dry sherry and have never cooked tail before so my Barcelona man will try and await his response
JunU
...the first time I've tried Rabo de Toro was early May this year when I visited Cordoba. It was amazingly delicious and I was already thinking of finding a recipe so I can make my own when I get back home. Luckily, I found your recipe that really challenged me to prepare this dish for me and a friend who loved it as well. I will prepare them again sometime for more friends and family to taste.
Linda L
Had this in a restaurant on our last night Madrid and wanted to recreate when I got home. This recipe is wonderful! I followed it exactly with the addition of sautéed mushrooms to the puréed sauce cuz the one in Madrid had it. I will add pearl onions next time. Skimming off the fat is a must. I served with rice, but will try potatoes next time. My family liked this more than the Chinese style braised oxtail. Thank you for sharing!
the gold digger
I made this this weekend. My husband and I tried rabo de toro at three different restaurants when we were in Madrid last winter. I have since tried to make it at home (once I found oxtail that weren't $7.95 a pound!) and this recipe is fabulous!
Lauren Aloise
So happy to hear this! It is really a delicious dish 🙂
Shari
Just so you know, in 2021 the oxtails are $12.99 a pound, so your $7.95 sounds like a dream.
Lizzie
I'm just in the process of making this.
I have made Rabo de Toro before to different recipe - one which I misread. I thought it said 1 bottle of Fino (sherry) , it didn't, it said 1 cup. Oops. Still, never mind, it was cooked for hours and hours so not as bad as I thought it might be!
This recipe is in the slow cooker now and the kitchen smells wonderful. I've added a little Smoked Paprika instead of Ginger (because I haven't got any). I haven't put a whole bottle of sherry in, but I have added a generous slosh of Manzanilla and the red wine, of course.
We'll have it with creamy mashed potato in about 6 hours..... crikey, 6 hours...better have a snack 🙂
Lauren Aloise
Oh yum... reading your comment made me VERY hungry haha! It's been awhile since I've made this-- need to change that asap!
Ana
Great recipe! I live in the U.K. And since I moved here I learnt how to make a lot of dishes that I otherwise would have taken for granted while I was in Spain (as a young woman you just don't make croquetas, they're fine in the bar round the corner), and this oxtail recipe is super easy to make and it really feels like a quick trip to Seville as it couldn't be more authentic.
Lauren Aloise
Happy to hear this Ana!
Mark
I actually first tried this in Cordoba, Spain (my wife and I were visiting southern Spain with our daughter who was on assignment in Geneva). While I was enjoying this wonderful dish, our rental car was being broken into -and all of our possessions stolen, less those on our backs and in our pockets. Nevertheless, it was wonderful, and even my wife, very reluctant to even taste it, admitted that it was very, very good. It is unfortunate, but bovine tail is difficult to get here -some local butchers have a 6-month waiting list, and it is fairly expensive. (Likely because we have many Latino immigrants who fully appreciate rabo de toro.)
Lauren Aloise
Wow! I can't believe there's a waiting list for oxtail where you live! Where are you from? And so sorry to hear about the robbery, how awful! Where I used to live in Massachusetts you could find oxtail at most supermarkets, and it was definitely popular among the Latino and Brazilian communities.
Caseyjones
Tried this on my Spanish girlfriend's relations in Madrid.
Couldn't find ground ginger anywhere (the Spanish aren't great ginger fans apparently) so dropped in a small bouquet garni of a couple of sprigs each of rosemary and thyme along with the bay leaves. Took 4 hours till I was happy that the meat was perfect.
I left it to sit overnight and the next day I skimmed off the excess oil (Loads!) Then pureed the sauce, re-heated and served with homemade straw chips.
The result? I actually got a round of applause!!
This is a great dish to prepare the day before as the flavours actually intensify overnight and, although it's a relatively simple dish to make, the prep takes quite a while.
10/10 (I don't often give full marks for recipes)
P. S. I ended up with about 4 tails for the same amount of veg and this was easily enough for 6/7 people.
Lauren Aloise
Good for you! Sounds like it came out awesome. I'll bet you really impressed the in laws! Thanks for letting me know the results!
Joshua
Cheater!!! LOL. Pearl onions in picture with none in recipe.
Lauren Aloise
Pictured is actually my mother-in-law's recipe! She makes hers a bit differently, but I agree that the onions are a nice touch!
Christopher Gordon Webb
Benefits from the addition of shallots. These are shown in the photograph but not in the receipe. Otherwise a great dish.
Lauren Aloise
Hi Christopher! Thanks for reading. They are actually pearl onions, and the picture is my mother-in-law's version. I like the onions, but give me the bull tail in sauce with some potatoes and I am happy!
Michi
Mmmmm, I LOVE bull tail!! In fact, one of the best bull tail dishes I've ever had was in Seville!
Mmmmm, I'm really craving a good estofado right now!
Juan
Me too, Panatas restaurante over by the Mercarodona! I’m making some right now, I think it would probably go better with mashed potatoes! Yum