Pork Ragu

Total comfort food — with just 10 minutes of prep! Prepare this pork ragu recipe in the slow cooker or on the stovetop for an Italian-inspired, easy dinner that your family will adore!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword pork ragu, pork ragu recipe, slow cooked pork ragu

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 10

Servings people

Calories 305kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 ½– 3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into big 2-inch chunks
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
1 stalk celery finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
6 oz tomato paste
1 ½ cups red wine (such as pinot noir) for stovetop method OR ½ cup red wine for slow cooker method
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
For serving: pappardelle or other sturdy pasta; additional grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh herbs

Instructions

SLOW COOKER METHOD:

Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Whisk together tomato paste and ½ cup red wine; transfer to slow cooker. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrot, Parmesan cheese, crushed tomatoes, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir.
Season pork with ¾ teaspoon salt and place in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. You know it’s done when the pork is fall-apart tender. Discard garlic cloves and use two forks to shred the pork. Add remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt, stir, and serve over pasta.

STOVETOP METHOD:

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Season pork with ¾ teaspoon salt; brown and sear in hot oil (about 4 minutes per side).
Remove meat to a platter.
Reduce heat to low; add onions and additional ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir frequently, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the onions cook and caramelize for 25-30 minutes. NOTE: If you don't have the time or patience to cook the onions for this long, that's fine — just sauté them for about 7-10 minutes (until tender). The caramelizing adds extra rich flavor, but it will still be delicious with a shorter time too!
Add garlic, carrot and celery; cook for 2 more minutes.
Clear space in the bottom of the pot; add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
Add wine and deglaze the pot by scraping up bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Simmer for 3 minutes. Return meat to the pot; add 2 ½ cups of water, Parmesan cheese, and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to very low; cover halfway (leaving the lid ajar to let the steam escape). Simmer and braise for about 3 hours, or until meat is fall-apart tender.
Discard the garlic cloves. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a rimmed baking sheet (or cutting board) and shred with two forks (you can also just shred the meat directly in the pot if that's easier). Return shredded pork to the pot, and stir in remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Serve over pasta.

Notes

If you don't want to purchase a whole pork shoulder (which is likely more meat than you need for this recipe), look for "pork shoulder steaks," which are sold in smaller quantities. Alternatively, you can double all of the ingredients to take advantage of more meat with a larger batch of sauce. Remember, leftovers freeze well!
Note the different amounts of liquid called for in the different cooking methods. The stovetop version requires water and more red wine, because you simmer with the lid ajar — which releases steam and allows the sauce to thicken. The slow cooker, by contrast, needs the lid closed — which means that condensation falls back into the sauce. As a result, you will omit the water and drastically reduce the amount of red wine when preparing the Crock Pot ragu.
This recipe calls for kosher salt. If you’re using regular table salt, you will likely need to decrease the amount of salt that you add to the dish. Just taste and adjust to your liking. You can also season with ground black pepper to taste.
If you can find San Marzano crushed tomatoes, they’re the best!

Nutrition