Fork Tender Beef Ragu with Roasted Tomatoes
This recipe for slow cooked Ragu has large pieces of fork tender beef in a fragrant wine and herb infused sauce with shallots, bacon, and mushrooms served over pasta and garnished with slow roasted tomatoes.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast cut into 2" cubes
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Kosher salt - divided
- Fresh ground pepper - divided
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon
- 10 roma tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter - divided
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms cut in half
- 4 shallots sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 cups red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme divided
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- Freshly grated parmesian to taste
- 1 pound pasta cooked
Instructions
- Fry bacon to a crisp in a dutch oven and then place the bacon in a large bowl leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Slice the roma tomatoes in half and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and the leaves from 3 thyme stems. Set aside to rest.
- Cube 3 pounds of chuck into 2" pieces.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper over the beef pieces.
- Cook the meat at a high temperature in the bacon drippings to brown the edges.
- Brown the meat in 2 batches depending on the size of your dutch oven.
- After the meat is browned, remove to the bowl with the bacon.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the dutch oven, keeping a medium high heat.
- Add the mushrooms and a dash of salt.
- Brown the mushrooms and add to the beef and bacon bowl.
- Melt 2 more tablespoons of butter and add the shallots.
- Once they are lightly browned, add the garlic and tomato paste.
- Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add red wine, rosemary, thyme, pepper flakes, and bay leaves to the shallot mixture.
- Bring to a low simmer, scrapping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce the wine by about a quarter.
- After the wine has reduced, add the meat, mushrooms, and bacon to the pot along with 2 cups of beef stock.
- Bring temperature up to a gentle boil.
- Place the tomatoes on a foil lined cookie sheet skin side down.
- Place the cookie sheet of tomatoes and the covered dutch oven in a 300 degree oven and cook for 2.5 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
- Uncover the dutch oven and place back on the stove top at a high heat.
- Bring to a rolling boil to thicken slightly and skim any fat as needed.
- Taste sauce to check if additional salt and pepper is needed.
- Stir in the Italian parsley and serve over pasta.
- Garnish with the tomatoes, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a few parsley and/or rosemary leaves.