BRAISED BEEF RAGU ~ SHREDDED BEEF IN TOMATO SAUCE ~ A GOUDA LIFE

Braised Beef Ragu ~ shredded beef in tomato sauce ~ A Gouda Life image

Braised Beef Ragu ~ tender beef + rich tomato sauce from everyday ingredients. Serve with pasta or gnocchi. Fast prep, slow cooked. A million dollar recipe!

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

2 ½ pound beef chuck roast (if your roast is larger, cooking time will increase ~ don't rush it!)
Coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter divided
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 celery stalk cut in thirds
1 carrot cut in thirds
3 cloves garlic grated
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs sage
1 cups red wine (chianti or cabernet are good, not sweet red)
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
Brown sugar**
¼ cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 pound pappardelle pasta
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Steps:

Bring the beef to room temperature then cut it into 4 pieces. Pat it dry with paper towels, then generously season it on all sides with salt and pepper (I used a good tablespoon of salt).
Add the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to a Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot over medium high heat and once it's hot, add the beef searing on all sides and ends then transfer the beef to a plate.
Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary and sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute 5 minutes then add the tomato paste and continue cooking 2 more minutes.
Pour in the wine scraping the bottom to get all the brown bits off and cook 5 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally or until the wine starts to reduce, then fold in the crushed tomatoes and beef stock.
Return beef and their juices to pot, turning them over in the sauce then cover bake at 325 degrees for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring at the 1 hour point and checking for doneness at 2 hours. You want the beef to be able to shred easily, but before it becomes mushy.
Remove the pot from the oven and take the beef out of the pot for shredding. Remove the carrots, celery and herbs then continue cooking the sauce 15 more minutes (stovetop) uncovered allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken more while you shred the beef.
Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper.NOTE: Some canned tomatoes aren't as sweet as others. If your sauce isn't as sweet as you'd like, add brown sugar ½ teaspoon at a time, combining thoroughly and tasting after each ½ teaspoon.
Using 2 forks shred the beef (I like to leave about 1/3 of it in a bit larger pieces) then add the shredded beef to the sauce along with the other tablespoon of butter and chopped parsley.
Serve with pappardelle or gnocchi cooked according to package directions along with fresh bread or salad and fresh parmesan cheese.