Sunday Ragù
Slow-simmered meat sauce with beef, sausage, and pancetta — rich, glossy, and deeply flavored.
- ground beef chuck (80/20)1 lb
- hot Italian sausage, casings removed1 lb
- pancetta, finely diced4 oz
- yellow onion, finely diced1 large
- carrot, finely diced1 medium
- celery stalk, finely diced1 large
- garlic cloves, minced6
- tomato paste3 tbsp
- dry white wine1 cup
- whole milk1 cup
- whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (DOP), crushed by hand56 oz
- soy sauce2 tbsp
- fish sauce, substitute for soy sauce(optional)1 tbsp
- bay leaves2
- dried oregano1 tsp
- red pepper flakes½ tsp
- Parmigiano-Reggiano rind1
- cold unsalted butter2 tbsp
- kosher salt2 tsp
- freshly ground black pepper½ tsp
- 1
Set a heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta (no oil) and render 8–10 minutes until the fat melts out and the bits are golden. Leave the pancetta in the pot.
medium-low - 2
Raise heat to medium-high. Pat the ground beef and sausage dry. Brown in golf-ball-sized chunks in a single layer, undisturbed for 4 minutes, then flip and break up. Work in 2 batches if needed. Season with salt as you go. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving about 3 tbsp fat in the pot.
medium-high - 3
Lower to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and a pinch of salt; cook 10–12 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute more.
medium - 4
Push the vegetables aside and add the tomato paste; cook 3–4 minutes until brick red. Pour in the dry white wine, scrape up the browned bits, and reduce by half.
medium - 5
Return the browned meat to the pot. Add the whole milk and simmer until mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes. The sauce will look pale — that is correct.
medium-low - 6
Crush the whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes by hand into the pot with all their juices. Add the soy sauce, bay leaves, oregano, and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind. Simmer on low, partially covered, 2½–3 hours, stirring every 20–30 minutes, until thick and glossy. Discard the bay leaves and rind.
low
Cook it with a chef at your shoulder.
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Sous is an AI cooking assistant, not a food-safety authority. Use a thermometer for doneness — especially meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood — and trust your own judgment.