This traditional Dominican Style Spicy Oxtail Stew (Rabo Encendido) is made with beef oxtail, veggies and Latin seasonings for the ultimate comfort food! The beef is slow-cooked for maximum flavor and requires just 10 minutes of prep time. Serve with rice for a hearty family meal everyone will love!

There's nothing more comforting than a delicious beef stew and this traditional rabo encendido has to be my favorite! A little bit spicy, this traditional Dominican stew is super easy to prep and out of this world delicious!

If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my Dominican Style Tripe Stew (Mondongo) and Sancocho.

How To Make Rabo Encendido

• In a large pot or caldero, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle oxtail with salt and pepper. Add meat to the pot and brown on all sides. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 1 and a half hours, checking and adding more water as needed. 
• When the meat is tender, add adobo, oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic, onion, peppers, carrots, tomato sauce, and olives. Mix to combine. 
• Let simmer until all vegetables become tender and flavors combine, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Serve warm with white rice and avocado. 

Can you make it in a slow cooker?

What's awesome about this recipe is that you can make it on the stovetop as my mom does or you can make it easier on yourself and just put it all on the slow cooker.

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for instructions on how to make this in your Crockpot.

What is Rabo Encendido?

This spicy oxtail stew is a very popular dish in the Dominican Republic called Rabo Encendido, which literally translates to oxtail on fire. Dominicans do not tend to eat very spicy food and this is one of the very few spicy dishes enjoyed in the country.

Can you make it ahead of time?

This Dominican oxtail stew is so perfect for meal prep and freezer meals. I often double the recipe so that I have some for easy to grab meals in the week. Let the stew cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.

Thaw the frozen stew in the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pan on the stovetop.

A Traditional Oxtail Stew Recipe

This spicy oxtail stew is made with beef oxtail, onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, carrots, tomato sauce, Latin seasonings.

For this recipe, I used Rumba Meats Oxtail, which I found in the meat case of my local retail grocery store. Rumba offers products that help me share my family’s heritage through food by providing the ingredients to make traditional dishes like this one.

Every time I eat a plate of this stew is like I'm transported back to my beloved island.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Keep your eye on the water level when you are cooking the oxtail and add more if needed.
• Adjust the heat level of this Dominican stew to your taste. Add a little more ore less red pepper flakes if you wish.
• This traditional recipe works really well with these veggies, but you can also add in additional veggies if you wish, mushrooms would work well!

More Beef Recipes

• Beef Picadillo
• Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
• Dominican Chimichurri Burger
• Slow Cooker Chili

*Update Notes: This spicy oxtail stew recipe was originally published in May 2018 as part of a sponsored collaboration with Rumba Meats and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. It was updated in May 2020 with new process photos, and extra notes and tips.

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