Rabo encendido is such a special, comforting dish. It’s basically the Dominican take on Jamaican oxtail stew, since traditional Dominican oxtail, or rabo guisado, isn’t spicy at all.
This stew gets its spice from scotch bonnet pepper, which is a classic spice pepper in Jamaican cooking. But it gets its Dominican flair from the adobo, sazón, and sofrito seasoning.
I especially love using sazón liquido in this recipe, which is pretty much just a version of sofrito that’s especially good for seasoning meats like oxtail, but feel free to use your favorite sofrito!
This post may contain affiliates. Please see my affiliate notice for details.
Use the brown sugar to brown the oxtail
Before simmering the oxtail in the stew for 3 hours, it needs to be seared to lock in the flavors from the seasoning. I love burning the brown sugar at the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before throwing in the oxtail because it helps give the meat some color.
In Jamaican oxtail, you would use bottled browning sauce, but browning sugar in a pan is a classic Dominican tip I never skip when cooking meat.
Don’t skip the scotch bonnet pepper
The scotch bonnet pepper adds just the right amount of heat to this recipe. Trust me, one is enough to bring a subtle kick that enhances the flavors without overpowering the dish.
Now, if you can handle your spice and want a little more heat, go ahead and throw two in there. But remember, keep them whole and make sure they don’t burst while cooking! If those seeds get into the stew, the heat will intensify significantly.
Rabo Encendido (Spicy Dominican Oxtail Stew)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs oxtails
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp adobo
- ½ tsp sazón
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper sliced
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 3 tbsp sofrito or sazón liquido
- 10 sprigs thyme
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 5 cups broth or water
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp adobo
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Season the oxtail with lime juice, adobo, sazón, smoked paprika, oregano, and sea salt. Set aside to marinate for a few minutes.
- Heat oil in a large caldero over medium-high heat. Add the oxtail to the pan and sear on all sides until browned. Once browned, remove the oxtail from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pot, add minced garlic, chopped onion, bell peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, and sofrito. Cook for about 2 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Return the oxtail to the pot, along with fresh thyme, and stir everything together.
- Add tomato sauce, broth, cumin, adobo, black pepper, and a bay leaf to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 2.5-3 hours, or until the oxtail is tender and the sauce has thickened. Buen provecho!
