Red Sauce (Ragù all'Italiana)

Ingredients

• 1/3 lb salt pork
• 2 lb chuck roast
• 3 cloves garlic
• crushed hot red pepper
• sweet onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 29 oz diced tomatoes
• 29 oz tomato puree

Method

Ragù is built on braising — low, moist heat that breaks down connective tissue in the meat whilst the tomato acid denatures the proteins into a unified sauce. Start by cutting the salt pork into small dice and rendering it in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until the fat runs clear and the solids turn golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. This fat is your cooking medium and flavour base. Cut the chuck roast into chunks the size of a walnut — not finely minced, as you want some structural integrity to the meat so it doesn't collapse into mush. Once the salt pork is rendered, increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef in batches, and leave each piece undisturbed for 2–3 minutes before turning. You're building a meat-cookery crust through the Maillard reaction, which creates the savoury depth this sauce demands. Don't crowd the pot; work in two batches if necessary.

When the beef is browned on all sides, add crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the tomato paste. Let it sit for 2 minutes — this flavour-building step caramelises the paste slightly and mellows its sharpness. Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato purée, and 250 ml water. Halve the onion (skin on, to keep it intact during the long cook) and nestle it into the pot along with the whole carrot, bay leaves, and a pinch of crushed dried chilli. Bring to a gentle simmer — barely a bubble breaking the surface.

Cover and reduce the heat to low. The ragù wants 4–5 hours of gentle simmering. Stir every 45 minutes and scrape the bottom to prevent sticking. The sauce should reduce by about half. If it's drying out faster than it's concentrating, add water in 100 ml increments. You're looking for a thickened sauce that clings to the meat, not a soup. The meat should break apart under a wooden spoon when ready.

Fish out and discard the carrot, onion, and bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and ground pepper. The sauce improves overnight as flavours marry, so make it a day ahead if you can.