Oxtail Soup

I was watching The Neely's today on Food Network and saw that they were preparing an oxtail stew. Boy did that bring back some memories! My mom, always looking to provide a meal on a very tight budget, about once a month made a great oxtail soup. The meat was very cheap to buy and made a great compliment to a tomato based soup with garden vegetables. I don't know if she roasted the bones first or just cooked it with the stock. I'm going to do a little investigation and experiment with this soup at home first. What do oxtails taste like? My recollection that they had a beefy taste but they could be a little fatty. Maybe someone out in blogworld knows about this soup!