Braised Pork Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta

Preperation time
m
Skills level

Serving size
4-6
Country of origin

Cooking time: 2 hours m
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 3lb. pork shoulder, trimmed
  • 1-2 onions, cut into thick slices
  • 1 cup red wine (or stock)
  • 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • dried bay leaves 3-4
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt & garlic powder
  • optional, 5 tablespoons chopped pancetta
  • Optional, garlic, a little celery and carrots
  • ceramic coated cast iron skillet or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid
  • reserved pasta water as needed
Recipe Type:
Course:

You will love this braised pork ragu recipe. You’ll need to allot for a few hours for the pork to braise in the oven, so plan accordingly. If you aren’t concerned with the added fat, don’t trim the pork until the very end, after it’s cooked. Also, adding some pancetta to the pan will add another layer of delicious flavor. Here are the simple directions.

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Trim pork shoulder and remove fat. Then cut pork shoulder/butt into four equal pieces and season all over with salt and garlic powder. Pour 2 tablespoon of oil into Dutch oven and sear pork for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until slightly browned. Remove pork from pan and set aside.

Note: The fat adds another dimension of flavor to the park, so you can leave the fat on and cut it off once its done braising in the oven. Also, Pancetta adds a nice flavor base. Add about 5 tablespoons of chopped pancetta and cook until browned. Take out of pan and continue with the rest of the steps. Add back pancetta when you put pork into pan with juices.

Add onion slices and sauté for 10 minutes until slightly caramelized. The onions will be a good place for the pork to rest on while cooking in the oven, so larger slices are good.

Add tomato paste and stir together with onions. Lightly season with salt and pepper if desired.

Deglaze pan with wine, making sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until wine has slightly evaporated.

Note: use caution as wine is flammable.

Add the whole peeled tomatoes, including juices, and stir together, breaking up the tomatoes with a flat-=edged spoon into bite-sized chunks.

Once mixture is simmering again, add pork back into the pot. Spoon liquid over the pork. Add bay leaves and any other herbs you like. Cover pot and place on the lowest shelf in your oven. Braise pork for about 2 hours or until the pork is easily shredded with a fork.

Remove pan from oven and finely shred pork with two forks. Adjust seasonings if needed. Place pulled pork back into the pan with the lid and into the oven at a lower setting about 300 degrees to further meld flavors, roughly 15 minutes.

Note: if you chose not to trim off fat earlier in this recipe, now is the time to trim the fat.

In the meantime, make the pappardelle pasta. Once water is boiling, add the salt. Boil pasta and drain.

Add the braised pork ragu to the pasta and mix thoroughly so pasta is fully covered. Save a little pasta water to loosen pasta if necessary. Top with freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino and serve warm with crusty Italian bread. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil chiffonade.