The Chef Way Ragu
Directions
- 1Slowly render the pancetta in olive oil.
- 2Gently sweat the onion, carrot, and celery until pale and sweet, with no color.
- 3Add the finely grated garlic in the final 1-2 minutes of sweating the vegetables, then remove the sofrito.
- 4Cook the beef mince on high heat to release and evaporate all the water content.
- 5Keep working the mince in the pan to break up any clumps and caramelize it deeply to a dark brown color, scraping the fond.
- 6Add the diced pork belly.
- 7Stir in the tomato purée and cook it until it reaches a deep red-brown color.
- 8Add the first portion of milk to soften the meat fibers and let it fully absorb.
- 9Deglaze with red wine, turn up the heat slightly, and reduce the wine by 50%.
- 10Add the sofrito back into the pan.
- 11Add the tomato passata, Parmesan rind, bay leaves, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- 12Top up the mixture with chicken or beef stock.
- 13Cover and cook in the oven at 120°C / 250°F for approximately 4½ hours.
- 14Remove the Parmesan rind and bay leaves.
- 15Add the second portion of milk to add roundness and bring the sauce together.
- 16Add a few knobs of cold butter to finish, for gloss and richness.
- 17Finish with gastrique to balance acidity and season to taste.
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef mince (50% shin, 50% chuck)
- 400 g pork belly, diced
- 100 g pancetta, diced
- 200 g onion, finely diced
- 150 g carrots, finely diced
- 150 g celery, finely diced
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 80 g tomato purée
- 400 g passata
- 200 ml red wine
- 1 cup total whole milk (added in two stages)
- 500 ml chicken or beef stock
- 1 Parmesan rind
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 0 to taste salt
- 2 to 3 tbsp cold butter
- 0 as needed extra milk
- 100 g balsamic vinegar
- 50 g sugar
Equipment
panoven
Tips
- For maximum flavor, break up the mince as much as possible to achieve maximum surface area for browning.
- Browning the meat deeply is crucial, as 80% of the ragu's flavor comes from this caramelization.
- Caramelize the tomato puree until it turns a deep red-brown color for enhanced flavor.
- Adding milk in two stages (Massimo Bottura's and Marco Pierre White's methods) helps tenderize the meat and brings the sauce together.
- Reduce the red wine by 50% to concentrate flavors and clean the bottom of the pan.
- Keep Parmesan rinds and add them to the ragu for a natural MSG boost.
- Cook the ragu for a long time at a low temperature; the longer the better, ideally 4 and a half hours at 120°C / 250°F.
- Finish with milk and cold butter for gloss and roundness.
- Control your color to ensure a structured, not heavy, ragu.
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