One of the first dishes named to Beijing's official classic dish list — oxtail sections braised for ninety minutes to two hours in dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and rock sugar until the collagen-rich joints yield pull-apart meat lacquered in a glossy, sweet-savory sauce. A Beijing halal banquet staple with roots in Shandong braising and the century-old kitchens of Hongbinlou.
Red-Braised Oxtail is closely tied to Hongbinlou (鸿宾楼), a halal restaurant founded in Tianjin in 1853 under the Qing Xianfeng Emperor. In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai personally invited Hongbinlou to relocate its kitchen to Beijing; the restaurant became celebrated as 'the premier halal dining establishment in the capital,' and red-braised oxtail was among the dishes that earned it that distinction. The braising technique itself descends from the Shandong (鲁菜) tradition of 红烧, carried to Beijing by Shandong chefs entering court and official-household service during the Qing dynasty. This lineage — Shandong technique, halal ingredients, Beijing prestige — exemplifies how the capital's cuisine was assembled from regional streams, and was formally recognised when the dish was named to the first batch of official Beijing classic dishes.
No knife is needed — the meat separates from the bone with the gentlest pressure of chopstick tips. Each piece is soft yet not mushy, wrapped in a glossy mahogany glaze that delivers sweet, savory depth. The sauce coats the lips; the sweetness from rock sugar trails into a long, warm finish.
Oxtail is dense with collagen in its connective tissue and tendons. Sustained gentle braising at 80–90°C for 90–120 minutes unwinds collagen's triple-helix structure; peptide bonds hydrolyze and the chains convert into gelatin. Gelatin dissolves into the braising liquid, giving it a clingy, sauce-coating body, while re-coating the softened muscle fibers to retain moisture — producing the 'tender but not disintegrating, lean but not dry' texture. Dark soy sauce's sugars and amino acids undergo a Maillard reaction during the initial sear, laying down the mahogany glaze; rock sugar caramelizes during final reduction, deepening color and layering in sweetness.
Variations
Some Cantonese-influenced versions add dried tofu skin (腐竹) to the braise, which absorbs the sauce beautifully. Halal kitchens substitute beef bone stock for water in the braising liquid for a richer base. Home cooks pressed for time use a pressure cooker — 30 minutes at pressure — with some loss of depth.
On the Palate
Where Red-Braised Oxtail sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 15 min
- 18 min
Cut oxtail into 5–6cm sections at the joints; blanch in boiling water with ginger slices and Shaoxing wine for 5 minutes to remove impurities; drain and pat dry.
- 28 min
Heat oil in a wide heavy pot over high heat; sear oxtail sections on all sides until golden-brown, about 6–8 minutes total; remove and set aside.
Watch outSear the oxtail on all sides until golden-brown — this Maillard crust lays down the mahogany color and depth before braising.
- 32 min
In the same pot, sauté scallion sections, ginger slices, star anise, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- 43 min
Return oxtail to pot; add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and rock sugar; toss to coat every piece.
- 53 min
Pour in enough water to just cover the oxtail; bring to a rolling boil, then skim any foam that rises.
- 6100 min
Reduce heat to the lowest simmer; cover tightly and braise for 90–100 minutes until meat is fork-tender and pulling away from bone.
Watch outBraise at the lowest simmer 90–100 minutes until the meat pulls from the bone — a hard boil toughens it before the collagen melts to gelatin.
- 715 min
Uncover; raise heat to medium-high and reduce the braising liquid, stirring occasionally, until it thickens into a clingy glaze that coats the back of a spoon; taste and adjust salt.
Watch outReduce until the liquid thickens into a clingy glaze that coats a spoon — the melted gelatin is what makes it glossy, not watery.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
