Pork Ragù

Cooking with Rich

2020-08-10T05:28:43+00:00

In a previous recipe, Lamb & Chorizo Ragù, I mentioned a wonderful memory of having a wild boar ragú in Tuscany with Vicki and our 1 year old son. This is a recipe that gets fairly close although I never did ask our hosts for the wild boar version.

Like all ragú this pork version is cooked over lower heat for a long time to allow the meat to cook through and become mouth wateringly tender. The recipe is fairly standard for a ragú so the type of meat can be swapped out if preferred.

In this instance I have suggested a pork shoulder, cubed into smaller pieces. Pork shoulder is relatively tough, usually quite inexpensive and is layered with fat making for a great slow cooked piece of meat. The low and slow cooking method allows the meat to gain tenderness and will end up falling apart. You can serve any ragù with pasta, rice, mash or on it's own. Leftovers make for great sandwiches, wraps or thrown together with some mash to make a 'cottage' style pie for dinner the next night.

Here we've exampled the ragù with a pappardelle pasta since the large flat surfaces of the pasta bode well for the meat sauce to combine, but feel free to use any pasta you prefer.

Pork Ragù

Preparation: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 2.5-3 hours | Serves: 4-6 adults

Skill Level: Moderate

Ingredients

1 kg of pork shoulder, cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 tbsp of thyme (fresh chopped or dried)
1 tbsp of rosemary (fresh chopped or dried)
1 tbsp sage (fresh chopped)
½ tsp of chilli flakes
½ tsp nutmeg
2 bay leaves
800gm chopped tomatoes (2 tins)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1-1½ cups red wine
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt & pepper
olive oil
½ tbsp butter to fry off meat

Pork Ragú & Pappardelle - Cooking with Rich Method

Season pork with salt, pepper and a little olive oil.
In large heavy based pot add a little more olive oil and butter, heat and brown meat on all sides and set aside, do in batches if easier.
To same pot add onion & garlic and sauté until onion starts to turn translucent, ~4-5mins.
Add carrots and celery and cook until carrots begin to soften a little, another ~4-5 mins.
Add wine and heat to boiling, stirring to deglaze base of pan.
Add stock, again heat to simmer.
Add herbs, chilli, nutmeg, bay leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste, mix well and heat to simmer.
Add pork and heat to simmer
Cover and cook for ~2-2½ hours or until meat is tender.
Carefully remove pork cubes and on a chopping board shred using 2 forks, similar to pulled pork.
Put shredded pork back into pot and stir through, cooking on simmer for another ~30 mins.
Serve over your favourite pasta or starch.

Tips & Alternatives

Let fridge cold meat sit until room temperature before browning.
This can be served with your pasta of preference, mash, rice or on it's own.
The above recipe is the foundation, you can add a variety of additional veggies such as peas, corn kernels, mushrooms etc to create your own version to suit your personal taste.
If you can plan ahead, cooking a day prior will enhance the flavour. Just heat in a saucepan with a touch of water.
Don't hesitate to use the same recipe with lamb, beef, venison or wild boar. You may need to adjust cooking times depending on the type and cut of meat.

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