Oxtail

Oxtail is the tail of a cow, cut into rounds and braised until the cartilage melts. It is mostly bone, marrow and gelatin-rich connective tissue.

The 50 Man Foods uses oxtail the way it uses bone broth: as the source of glycine and gelatin that balances the methionine in muscle meat.

  • Once or twice a week
  • Red meat
  • Updated Sep 2026

What it supplies

Nutrient · per 100 g, braised meat and bone Amount % DV Relative amount
Protein 22 g 44%
Fat 13 g 17%
Calcium 18 mg 1%
Phosphorus 150 mg 12%
Calories 252 kcal 13%

Source: USDA FoodData Central.Percent Daily Values are based on adult reference intakes. The bars stop at 100%; the numbers do not.

Why it works

Glycine is the amino acid that balances methionine from meat. Eating too much muscle meat without connective tissue creates an imbalance that raises homocysteine; oxtail fixes it.

Gelatin from oxtail supports the gut lining and joint cartilage.

How much, how often

  • One pot

    Once or twice a week

    Eat the meat, drink the broth, get the gelatin.

  • Low and slow

    3 hours

    The broth sets to jelly when cool; that is the gelatin.

How to buy and prepare it

Pieces with even meat coverage, not mostly bone. The marrow should be red and fresh, not gray.

Grass-fed oxtail has a better fat profile than conventional.

Brown the pieces in a hot pot, then braise low and slow for 3 hours with salt, pepper and water or bone broth.

Shred the meat off the bone and return it to the liquid. The broth should set to jelly when cool.

Raw oxtail keeps 3 days in the fridge or months in the freezer.

Cooked oxtail keeps 3 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen.

In these guides

Questions

Is oxtail just bone broth?
It is the source of bone broth plus the meat. Eating the whole thing gives you the gelatin and the protein.
How long does oxtail take to cook?
Two to three hours at a low simmer. A pressure cooker does it in 45 minutes.
Can you pressure cook oxtail?
Yes, 45 minutes at high pressure. The meat falls off the bone and the gelatin extracts fast.