My husband rated my Slow Cooked Ragu with steak, Italian sausages and pork ribs a massive 10/10! Just try this and you’ll find out why!
Meat-lovers rejoice!
My husband, Tomasi, is the biggest meat eater I know. As for me? Nope, not really. I love seafood and poultry, then once in a while, I’ll have beef or pork.
Believe it or not, I’ve never had a meat lover’s pizza until I met Tomasi. The thought of having a pizza with an overly sweet barbecue with all meat and no veggies wasn’t appealing. This slow-cooked ragu reminds me of a meat lover’s pizza because it’s packed with so much meat BUT it tastes much better!
Gennaro Contaldo, a very charming Italian chef, inspired me to create this ragu recipe. I was watching in awe when Gennaro loaded his ragu with brisket, spare ribs and Italian sausage. I knew immediately that I had to make a meaty ragu for Tomasi. However, I also wanted to make it for my sister, Nara and me, too. So, I tweaked the recipe and threw in some veggies.
This ragu has seared chuck steak, pork ribs, good quality Italian sausages, onions, carrots and celery in a red wine and tomato sauce. It’s slow-cooked in a Dutch oven for over 2 hours before we slice the sausage and shred the steak.
The results are phenomenal! Beautiful rich red sauce with tender meat that basically just melts in your mouth. The chewy flat pappardelle pasta is a perfect match for this ragu because it sops up the sauce nicely.
Tomasi fell head over heels in love with this dish and scored it 10 out of 10. Trust me, he is not a generous scorer and never gives me sympathy points. Nara, who is not a big fan of meaty dishes, loved this and so did I.
This slowed cook ragu doesn’t take much effort, but you have to wait almost 3 hours for it to come together. Let me tell you it’s 100% worth the wait.
Our overzealous doctor
When Tomasi moved in with me, I introduced him to our family doctors. They’re a husband (Dr P) and wife (Dr H) team sharing a practice. We use both doctors, but mainly see Dr H because my parents have taken us to her since we were little.
Years ago, I was at my work desk typing away when I got a missed call from Dr H. She left me a voice message, and I listened to it at my desk. ‘I’ve received the test results for you and your husband. Please book an appointment to see me immediately.’
What would you think if you heard that? I flipped out and imagined the worst-case scenario and I freaked out and before I knew it; I started sobbing at my desk. Paul peered awkwardly over our petition. ‘Is everything ok mate?’ he asked, looking concerned. I left and called Tomasi, still sobbing whilst filling him in. He was equally alarmed and packed his desk.
There we were nervously grasping onto each other’s hands at 2 pm in the waiting room, still in our business attire. Dr H finally calls us into her tiny consultation room. She takes a deep dramatic breath and tells us, ‘You both have serious medical concerns. ‘Catalina, you are iron deficient and very close to being anemic. Tomasi, your cholesterol levels are extremely high.’
We both didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. These results weren’t good, but was it that serious to where we had to leave work immediately to get these results? Most probably not!
Before you ask, yes, Dr H is still our family doctor. Overzealous? yes, she is! But she’s also a passionate and reliable doctor. Our health is in good hands! Dr H would have been over the moon knowing I ate plenty of this high iron and protein ragu, but she would have lectured Tomasi!
More cozy and delicious recipes to try:
Chicken Provencal
Meatballs in Tomato Herb Sauce
Butter Chicken
Ukrainian Beef and Potato Stew
Dutch oven, cast iron, casserole pot, heavy-based saucepan?
Does all the above cookware give you head spins? I don’t blame you, as I’m still learning the use of each one myself!
I’ve always been one of those cooks where I just use anything. For ages, I made my stir-fries, soups, casseroles in a large deep frying pan. Hey if it works, then what’s the issue? But then I delved into the world of cast iron cookware and lost myself and lots of money.
For this ragu, I used an affordable Dutch oven that I had gathered in dust in my pantry. After doing a bit of research, I found out that some brands sell their cast iron pots for around $1,000. That’s crazy, but dammit, I won’t lie. I’m intrigued now and must get one!
The Sale Gods must’ve heard my prayers because Black Friday, November sales happened and Le Creuset had a 20% off sale. I had to make the hardest decisions, by choosing a colour, size and cookware. Their range took my breath away. I ended up selecting their largest cast iron skillet in vibrant red. It hasn’t arrived yet because of the mail backlog from being in lockdown. I’m so excited and I can wait to meet it!
Anyway, the good news is that you don’t need an expensive cast iron or Dutch oven pot to make this ragu. If you have one, that’s great and definitely use it because they’re amazing! If not, a large heavy-based saucepan with a lid would still do a nice job.
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Ingredients for Slow Cooked Ragu with 3 meat
Steak – I used budget-friendly chuck steak that I’ve chopped into sections. Other great steaks to use for slow cooking includes skirt, round, brisket, blade and topside steak.
Italian sausage – If possible, use raw, good quality Italian sausages because the meat quality and seasoning are much better. I often found these sausages in speciality shops and in delis.
Pork ribs – Cut the ribs in-between each bone to make them all single ribs. There’s no other prep needed because the ribs will be tender after it’s been slow-cooked.
Red wine – I normally use dry red wine in my cooking but because we are using plenty of crushed tomatoes, the sauce is likely to be sour. So, I’ve used a sweet red variety to balance the tartness. If using dry red wine, you may need to add more sugar to the balance of the tartness from the tomatoes.
FOR SERVING:
How to make Slow Cooked Ragu with 3 meat
Step-by-step guide with photos
Cut the steak roughly into 10cm (4in) pieces, and cut the ribs in between each bone. Lightly season the steak and ribs with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. If using a dutch oven or cast-iron pot, heat the oil over medium. Sear the sides of the steak, ribs and sausages in batches until brown. Place the seared meats on a plate and set them aside.
In the same saucepan, add in the onions and garlic and stir to cook for 30 seconds. Add in the carrot and celery, stir regularly for 3 minutes. Then add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, water, bay leaves, thyme, stock cubes, sugar and salt. Give it a good stir and bring the sauce to a boil.
Once the sauce bubbles, reduce the heat to low and add the steak, ribs and sausages into the sauce. Place the lid on and allow it to simmer for 2 hours or until the meats are tender.
Remove the sausage and steak out of the sauce and onto a chopping board or plate. Slice the sausages thickly and shred the steak using a fork. Then place the steak and the sausages back into the sauce. Give the ragu a good stir and continue to on low for a further 30 minutes uncovered. Give the sauce a taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Whilst the ragu has 10 minutes left remaining to simmer, prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add in a few ladles of ragu and some pasta. Pour in 1 or 2 tablespoons of pasta water to loosen up the ragu if needed. You may need to adjust your ragu by adding more sauce or pasta to get the right balance. Carefully stir to mix the sauce into the pasta for a few minutes. Place the ragu on serving plates, sprinkle some parsley and parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.
Leftovers – It’s best to store leftover ragu with no pasta mixed in. Allow the ragu to cool completely, then transfer into a container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Frozen ragu will keep for up to 3 months.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Slow Cooked Ragu with 3 meat
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 3 tbsp light olive oil
- 500 gm chuck steak (NOTE 1)
- 300 gm Italian sausage (good quality) (NOTE 2)
- 400 gm pork ribs (NOTE 3)
- salt and pepper to season
For the ragu:
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 large carrot (diced approx. 200gm-7oz)
- 3 stalks celery (diced approx. 130gm-5oz)
- 800 gm canned crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine (NOTE 4)
- 1½ cup water
- 2 beef stock cubes (or 2 tsp powdered beef stock)
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme ( or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
To serve
- 600 gm dried pappardelle
- finely chopped parsley (optional)
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the steak roughly into 10cm (4in) pieces, and cut the ribs in between each bone. Lightly season the steak and ribs with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. If using a dutch oven or cast-iron pot, heat the oil over medium. Sear the sides of the steak, ribs and sausages in batches until brown. Place the seared meats on a plate and set them aside.
- In the same pot, add in the onions and garlic and stir to cook for 30 seconds. Add in the carrot and celery, stir regularly for 3 minutes. Then add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, water, bay leaves, thyme, stock cubes, sugar and salt. Give it a good stir and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Once the sauce bubbles, reduce the heat to low and add the steak, ribs and sausages into the sauce. Place the lid on and allow it to simmer for 2 hours or until the meats are tender.
- Remove the sausage and steak out of the sauce and onto a chopping board or plate. Slice the sausages thickly and shred the steak using a fork. Then place the steak and the sausages back into the sauce. Give the ragu a good stir and continue to on low for a further 30 minutes uncovered. Give the sauce a taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Whilst the ragu has 10 minutes left remaining to simmer, prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add in a few ladles of ragu and some pasta. Pour in 1 or 2 tablespoons of pasta water to loosen up the ragu if needed. You may need to adjust your ragu by adding more sauce or pasta to get the right balance. Carefully stir to mix the sauce into the pasta for a few minutes. Place the ragu on serving plates, sprinkle some parsley and parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.
