The 6-Hour Ragù
The one we wrote a paper about.
Long-simmered three-meat ragù: beef, pork and pancetta on a deep soffritto with reduced wine. The six-hour cook that turns a regular Sunday into an event.
Nutrition · per serving
Method
- 1
Render and brown
Start pancetta in a cold heavy pot and let the fat render until the edges crisp. Add the beef and pork in batches, browning hard before the next batch goes in. Colour is flavour; grey mince is just sadness.
- 2
Soffritto slow
In the same pot, sweat the soffritto slowly until soft, sweet and jammy. Scrape the browned meat bits from the base as the vegetables release water.
- 3
Milk first
Return the meat to the pot, add the milk and reduce it until the pot looks almost dry. This softens the meat and rounds the sauce before the wine goes anywhere near it.
- 4
Low and forever
Add the wine, reduce again, then add the tomatoes and bring the sauce to the laziest simmer. Cook for 4 hours or more, stirring now and then, until the ragù is deep, thick and not remotely rushed.
- 5
Cook the pasta
Cook the tagliatelle in heavily salted water until 1 minute shy of done. Reserve a mug of pasta water before draining; that water is your gloss control.
- 6
Marry the sauce
Toss the pasta with enough ragù to coat over low heat, splashing in pasta water until glossy. Off the heat, stir through the Parmigiano so it melts instead of clumping.
- 7
Plate and finish
Twist into warm bowls, spoon a little more ragù over the top and finish with extra Parmigiano and black pepper. Serve immediately; pasta waits for no one.