This hearty three pork ragu is easy to put together and makes an incredible pasta red sauce. It also packs a little heat!
So here you have your three types of pork. The ribs and loin will need to be cut up into 1-inch dice or smaller. You need to remove the sausage from its casing. Leave some fat on the ribs as pork can dry out quickly when cooking so a little extra fat will help keep it moist.
Let the Chopping Begin
Brace yourself for a little chopping: the meat, the onions, the garlic. I prepped this whole recipe before I started cooking–something I don’t always do.
Brown the meat in the olive oil just until it turns color, then remove it to a plate. Then add more oil and soften the onions. When the onions are translucent, toss in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook briefly until they release their flavor and aroma. Deglaze with the wine and reduce till the wine has evaporated.
Add the crushed tomatoes, the chicken broth and the carrot (for sweetness) and adjust the seasoning. Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer the sauce, uncovered, for one and a half hours. Stir it occasionally. If the sauce is still not sweet enough for your taste, add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar or more. Serve the sauce over short-cut pasta like rigatoni and be sure to grate Parmesan or grana padano over each serving. Delicious.
Three Pork Ragu
Yield: Serves 6
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cubed
- 1 pound boneless pork spareribs, cubed
- 2 Italian sweet sausages, removed from casing
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 2 cups low-sodium (or homemade) chicken broth
- 1 large carrot, cut in 4 pieces
- 1 pound short-cut pasta, such as rigatoni
- 1 wedge Parmesan cheese or grana padano
Directions:
- Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add all the pork, mashing up the sausage, and cook until just browned. Season with salt and pepper and remove from skillet onto a plate
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the skillet, add the onions and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pepper flakes and the garlic and cook, stirring, another 3 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pan and deglaze all the ingredients with the red wine, cooking until it evaporates
- Add the tomatoes, the chicken broth and the carrot pieces
- Bring the sauce to a low boil then turn down the heat and let simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours
- Serve over al dente pasta and pass the grating cheese with a grater or microplane for fresh grating over the pasta dish
I am 100% sure that the mixture of all three pork’s must give this ragu an incredible flavor!
Ambar, thanks for your comment. Yes, the three porks add a lot of flavor. My family just loved this ragu. Barbara