TL;DR
Get kitchen staples and gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Chef Marcus Samuelsson recommends oxtail or beef neck instead of relying only on chuck roast for beef stew, saying both cuts benefit from long, slow cooking. He suggests berbere as a versatile seasoning; the report does not provide a recipe, cooking time, or tested comparison of the cuts.
Chef Marcus Samuelsson says home cooks can make beef stew with oxtail or beef neck rather than defaulting to chuck roast, recommending low, slow cooking to help the cuts become tender. His advice appeared in an interview with The Kitchn, conducted while he was a guest chef at Aruba’s Autentico food festival.
Samuelsson described oxtail as a cut that grows more tender and flavorful with extended cooking. “Oxtail is amazing to make beef stew because it gets really tender,” he told The Kitchn. He also called the cut “an ingredient that keeps on giving,” referring to its rich flavor and texture after long cooking.
For cooks looking for a less expensive option, Samuelsson recommended beef neck. The report gave a price range of $8 to $18 per pound for oxtail, but did not specify a date, location, retailer, or price for beef neck, so the figure should not be treated as a current market quote.
For seasoning, Samuelsson said he often uses berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend that he described as versatile and similar in flavor profile to smoked paprika. He suggested it for slow-cooked meat, while encouraging cooks to adapt other stew ingredients to their preferences and available foods. The interview did not include a full stew recipe or precise cooking instructions.
A Different Cut for Slow-Cooked Stew
The recommendation gives home cooks options beyond chuck roast when planning a stew. Samuelsson said oxtail has a gelatinous, fatty texture and described beef neck as another suitable cut. The advice may interest cooks looking to try different cuts, though the report does not establish that either is less expensive or preferable in every market.
Samuelsson also described using berbere and drawing inspiration from local ingredients and culinary traditions. His comments present stew as a dish cooks can adapt, rather than one with a fixed formula. This is his personal cooking advice, not a claim that there is one best way to prepare beef stew.
Products Worth Considering
Le Creuset Signature 6.5-Quart Deep Round Dutch Oven with Light Gold Crucible Knob, Enameled Cast Iron, Bleu Riviera
Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 5.5 qt, Deep Teal
Le Creuset Enamemed Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven, 5 qt., White/Crucible
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Kitchn’s Alexandra Foster interviewed Samuelsson during Autentico, a festival in Aruba celebrating the island’s culinary culture. Samuelsson appeared as a guest chef and prepared dishes including smoked oxtail with fries and jerk goat with plantain puree, according to the report. He said he had worked with local chefs to explore regional dishes and ingredients.
Samuelsson is identified in the report as an eight-time James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author, activist and television personality. His latest cookbook, Back to Green: Rediscovering a World of Delicious, Healthy Eating, was described as focusing on ingredients and cooking approaches connected to health and nature. The article does not say the cookbook contains the beef stew advice or a specific oxtail recipe.
“Oxtail is amazing to make beef stew because it gets really tender.”
— Marcus Samuelsson, speaking to The Kitchn
Recipe Details Were Not Provided
The report does not give cooking temperatures, timing, liquid amounts, or a complete recipe for oxtail or beef-neck stew. Samuelsson’s comments describe his preferences and general method; they are not presented as results from a controlled comparison with chuck roast or as a guarantee of a particular texture.
The quoted oxtail price range lacks a stated market and date, and the article gives no comparable price for beef neck. It is also unclear which additional vegetables, liquids or seasonings Samuelsson would use in a finished stew, since he advised adapting ingredients to the cook’s preferences and circumstances.
How Cooks Can Apply the Tip
The immediate takeaway is a flexible one: cooks interested in Samuelsson’s approach can ask a butcher about oxtail or beef neck, then plan for a long, slow braise and season to taste, including berbere if available. Actual cooking time and temperature depend on the recipe and cut size; this interview does not supply those directions, so cooks should follow a tested recipe and handle meat safely.
The Kitchn report does not announce a follow-up recipe, demonstration or further event tied to the advice. Any additional instructions would need to come from a published recipe or a later statement by Samuelsson.
Key Questions
Which cuts does Marcus Samuelsson recommend for beef stew?
He recommends oxtail and beef neck as alternatives to relying on chuck roast. He says oxtail becomes tender and flavorful with long cooking.
What cooking method does he suggest?
Samuelsson recommends cooking the cuts low and slow. The interview does not provide a specific temperature, cooking duration or complete recipe.
What seasoning does Samuelsson favor?
He says he often uses berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend he describes as versatile, with a flavor profile similar to smoked paprika.
Is oxtail cheaper than chuck roast?
The report gives an oxtail price range of $8 to $18 per pound, but does not identify the market or date for that estimate and does not compare it with chuck roast. Prices vary by location and retailer.
Source: thekitchn.com
