where to buy oxtail cheap?

[Zengarden]

Trying to make oxtail stew. I've seen it for $3.99/lb in Chinatown. Is there a better option elsewhere? That seems to be a lot of money for such a boney part of the cow.

[Chester Eleganté]

At Times Square on the left side next to Fantasy when you walk inside the building there's a small 'market' that has excellent oxtails. Actually all of their meats (i.e. chicken and pork, for starters) are really good - it's just a husband and wife team that does everything so it can be slow, but they'll butcher it to however you like. They also cook some food daily (i.e. minced pork w/chestnuts) that you can take out.

[YummyYummy]

I'll be doing some holiday cooking myself in the next few days. Any more suggestions for where to buy affordable, but good quality oxtail not already mentioned here?

Seriously, why is oxtail so expensive these days? I asked my Caribbean take-out place at my food court where he got his great tasting oxtail and he mentioned it was from a supplier that only dealt with restaurants. However, he did give me advice about buying the good stuff. He said look for what is called "yellow" oxtail as opposed to "white" oxtail. He told me yellow oxtail is the higher quality meat and it is a bit more expensive.

[TorontoJo]

I saw oxtail at the new Galleria (York Mills and Leslie/Don Mills) last week, though I didn't note the price. But I find the prices there are quite reasonable in general.

[Jar]

The price has increased incredibly in the last year or so and there are bargains, and to seek beef as opposed to veal oxtail. Most important to realize that a lot of the value comes from the flavour of the bone and the final result of lots of flavourful gelatin!!! More important is to really consider the cooked oxtail has a lot and I mean a real lot of fat and cooling and removal of the hard, hard fat is essential! I love it, but it is a later or next day meal for me because of the excessive fat!!

[squingy]

$2.99 /lbs at Top Food Supermarket at 2715 Lawrence East, it's a little east of Midland. These guys have been open for a few months now and they always have some kind of special on meat all the time. On the weekend they had beef shortribs on sale for .88 cents a pound, regular price is $1.59 /lbs and last they had dungeness crab on sale for $2.99 a pound, regular $5.49 /lbs. I thought Lone Tai at Kennedy and Lawrence was cheap, this place is unbelievable.

[LJS]

If you are a west-ender, you can try Yuan Ming out in Mississauga.

[FlavoursGal]

Try Dufferin Meat, on Dufferin south of Lawrence, in the plaza adjacent to Lady York. They cater to a Caribbean clientele, and their prices are really cheap. The do carry oxtail.

[ishmael]

$3.99 is dirt cheap for oxtail. Since the popularity of Carribean cuisine the prices have skyrocketed. Most places( when you can find it) sell it for $5 to $6 a pound. Not to mention that most of the real Oxtail (i.e. beef rather than veal ) is exported to the islands. The stuff in the Chinese markets seems to be beef so it's a bargain.