Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta

Ingredients

• 1.25kg / 2.5 lb chuck beef (or other slow cooking beef cut, cut into equal 4 pieces (Note 1))
• 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt ((1 1/2 tsp table salt, 3 tsp flakes))
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil (, separated)
• 3 cloves garlic (, minced)
• 1 onion (, diced)
• 1 cup carrots (, diced (Note 2))
• 1 cup celery (, diced (Note 2))
• 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 beef bouillon cubes (, crumbled (Note 3))
• 1 cup red wine (, full bodied (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), or sub with beef broth/stock)
• 1 1/2 cups water ((Note 3))
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme ( or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 3 bay leaves (, dried or fresh)
• 1 lb /500g dried pappardelle (, or other pasta of choice (Note 4))
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
• Fresh parsley (, finely chopped (optional))

Steps

1. 1

   Season beef, sear to brown, remove. Cook the soffrito, then add all ragu ingredients and browned beef. Slow cook 2 - 2 1/2 hrs, shred beef, simmer in sauce 30 min. Toss with al dente pappardelle with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, serve with parmesan.

2. 2

   Season beef - Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper

3. 3

   Sear beef - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a heavy based pot. Add beef and sear each piece aggressively on all sides until very browned (3 - 5 minutes in total), then remove onto a plate.

4. 4

   Soffrito - Turn stove down to medium low and add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery and sauté slowly for 5 minutes (they will sweeten).

5. 5

   Add remaining Ragu ingredients and return the beef to the pot (including pooled juices). Turn the stove up and bring it to a simmer, then turn it down to low so it's bubbling very very gently. (Note 7)

6. 6

   Slow cook 2 - 2 1/2 hrs - Cover the pot and let it cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender enough to shred, checking first at 2 hours. Well marbled meat will cook faster than tough leaner parts. (Note 5 for slow cooker and pressure cooker).

7. 7

   Shred - Remove beef then coarsely shred with 2 forks. Return beef to the pot. Simmer on low for 30 minutes with lid off until sauce is reduced and thickened - beef will soften slightly more during this step.

8. 8

   Final season - Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper. ALSO, add 1/2 tsp sugar if sauce is a bit sour for your taste (Note 6). Place the lid on and set aside until ready to serve (it's even better the next day and freezes well for months!).

9. 9

   Al dente pasta - Bring a very large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to the boil. Add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time as per the packet instructions.

10. 10

    Warm ragu - Meanwhile, if the ragu is warm, place 5 cups of the Ragu in a very large fry pan or pot. Heat over medium high heat while the pasta is cooking. (If your ragu is already warm, you can skip this step and do the pasta and sauce toss in the used pasta cooking pot)

11. 11

    Toss - When the pasta is ready, SCOOP OUT a mugful of pasta cooking water before draining. Drain pasta then add into the ragu, add ~1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Gently toss the pasta (I use 2 wooden spoons) for 1 to 2 minutes on medium high until the sauce water evaporates and leaves you with a thick Ragu sauce that coats the pasta. (If it gets too thick, loosen with more pasta cooking water).

12. 12

    Serve - Yell for your family to sit down at the dinner table because you need to serve it immediately! Serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan, or even better, with parmigiano reggiano.