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cropped slow cooked pork shoulder ragu in a pot with a wooden spoon on a chopping board

Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder Ragu

There's little need for introduction here. What do you get when you slow cook a chunk of meat in tomatoes? Have you stumbled across the ultimate combination of simplicity and flavour? These questions and more, answered in our pork shoulder ragu recipe.
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pork, Ragu, Sauce, Slow-cooked, Tomato
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 645kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1.2 kg pork shoulder trimmed of fat and cut into a few large chunks
  • 3-4 wild boar bocconcini sausages diced or sliced (alternatively, use 250-330g of other salami)
  • 1 bulb fennel sliced
  • 1 carrot finely diced
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • half head of garlic minced
  • 1 big tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 stem rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 400g can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 800 ml bottle of passata
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup of red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds dry roasted and coarsely ground
  • 1 tbsp pepper coarsely ground
  • pinch of ground cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to season
  • 800 ml water plus any extra required to increase moisture if ragu is getting too dry

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
  • Season the pork and brown in a hot, lightly oiled pan, or directly in the pot that you'll be using to cook the ragu. Remove, and if in a separate pan deglaze, retaining the juices.
    chopped pork shoulder in a bowl on a chopping board
  • Add the olive oil, fennel, sausage, carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and chilli flakes into the pot and gently fry until the onion is translucent. At a low heat, expect this to take 20-30 minutes. Stir continuously.
    close up of chopped wild boar bocconcini sausage and fennel on a chopping board
  • Add the browned pork back in and stir through the soffritto, before pouring in the crushed tomatoes and passata, adding the sugar and a pinch of salt. Swill the water around in the empty can and passata bottle to collect any leftovers, and add to the pot. Then mix in the wine, bay leaves, fennel seeds, black pepper, and cayenne. Season to taste, and give it a good stir.
    close up of roasted spices in a mortal and pestle with bay leaves on a chopping board
  • Bring to the boil, cover the pot, and transfer to the oven. Cook it in the oven for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally and checking the moisture levels regularly. Add water if necessary, as you don't want it to get too dry.
  • Remove from the oven and stir gently to break up the chunks of meat until at a satisfactory consistency. We recommend serving this with a hearty pasta like our paccheri!
    close up of paccheri pasta stuffed with pork shoulder ragu

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.5g | Protein: 47.4g | Fat: 37.8g | Saturated Fat: 12.1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 688mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 5.6g | Sugar: 9.1g | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 6mg
Made this recipe? We'd love to see!Mention @pastaetal or tag #pastaetal!