Braised Beef Ragu with Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds chuck roast
1 medium onion, chopped finely
6-8 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 cup + 2 tablespoons beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounce can) diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce can) tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP dried thyme
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 TBSP pepper
a large bunch of basil (a handful or so, no need to be exact)
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 teaspoon – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper for meat rub


DIRECTIONS:
Season both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the beef into the pot and allow it to sear on each side for 5 minutes. Remove beef. Add the onions to the pot and let them sweat for 4-5 minutes or until they turn translucent (add some salt and pepper here as well). Add the garlic and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of beef broth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of beef broth to a bowl along with the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and use a whisk to combine. Add the mixture to the dutch oven and stir to mix. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, thyme, basil, sugar, and italian seasoning, red pepper flakes. Allow the sauce to gain a simmer, stir once. Add the beef back into the pot. Cover and lower the heat to the lowest setting and let cook for 3- 3 1/2 hours or until the meat easily shreds with two forks. Mine took about 3 hours to get the meat to just fall apart. Season with salt to taste. Feel free to skim any excess fat off the top and remove the bay leaves and basil leaves before serving. Serve over pappardelle or spaghetti with a sprinkle of parsley and lots of freshly grated parmesan.

The picture here doesn't do it justice. This was one of the best sauces I have had. Pair this with something like St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 from Sonoma county. This is one of the top 7% of wines in the United States.

Here is another picture when I served it over pappardelle with a little burrata on top.