There are endless ways to make ragu. Every region does it differently, and every family has their own version. This isn’t the authentic Italian way or the correct way, this is the chef way.
This ragu recipe is a technique-driven approach using French and European cooking principles to create a deeper, richer, more complete ragu. If you’re searching for a ragu recipe, how to make ragu, or the best ragu recipe, this video breaks down exactly how chefs build flavour step by step.
Instead of rushing everything into one pot, this method focuses on:
– Proper soffritto caramelisation
– Deep browning of the meat (Maillard reaction)
– Layered fat, collagen, and umami
– Controlled reduction and balance
This ragu uses a blend of beef shin and chuck, pork belly for collagen and richness, pancetta for fat and smoke, tomato in controlled amounts, parmesan rind for umami, and milk at two different stages, inspired by techniques used by chefs like Marco Pierre White & Massimo Bottura.
Rather than overpowering the meat, this ragu builds flavour slowly through caramelisation, reduction, and balance — resulting in a sauce that’s rich, glossy, and deeply savoury without being heavy.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS VIDEO:
– How chefs build flavour in ragu
– Why should soffritto be soft and sweet, not dark
– How to properly brown mince for maximum flavour
– Why milk is used in ragu (and when to add it)
– How to balance richness with acidity
– How to finish ragu like a restaurant sauce
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 kg beef mince (50% shin, 50% chuck)
400 g pork belly, diced
100 g pancetta, diced
200 g onion, finely diced
150 g carrots, finely diced
150 g celery, finely diced
1–2 garlic cloves, finely grated
Extra virgin olive oil
Neutral oil
80 g tomato purée
400 g passata
200 ml red wine
Whole milk (added in two stages)
~500 ml chicken or beef stock
1 Parmesan rind
2 bay leaves
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt, to taste
To finish
Cold butter
Extra milk
Gastrique: 100 g balsamic vinegar + 50 g sugar
METHOD
On low heat, add olive oil and pancetta to a heavy pot and slowly render the fat.
Add onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Sweat gently until soft, pale and sweet, no colour.
Grate in the garlic for the final 1–2 minutes, then remove the soffrito and set aside.
Return the pot to high heat with a little neutral oil. Add the beef mince, breaking it up and cooking hot to drive off moisture.
Once dry, lower the heat slightly and caramelise the beef slowly until deeply browned, scraping the fond regularly.
Add the pork belly and gently warm through — no heavy browning.
Stir in the tomato purée and cook until it darkens and caramelises.
Lower the heat and add the first portion of milk. Let it fully absorb into the meat.
Deglaze with red wine and reduce by about half, scraping the pan clean.
Return the soffrito to the pot, then add passata, stock, Parmesan rind, bay leaves and a pinch of nutmeg.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in a low oven at 120°C for 4½ hours, stirring occasionally.
While cooking, make a gastrique by boiling the vinegar and sugar briefly until lightly thickened.
Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind.
Finish with a splash of milk, cold butter for gloss, and the gastrique added gradually to balance acidity. Season to taste.
VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 – The Chef Way
00:20 – Soffritto Base
02:49 – Cooking the Meat
06:50 – Building & Cooking the Sauce
12:59 – Making Gnocci
13:40 – Making the Gastrique
14:32 – Finishing the Ragu
15:31 – Plating & Tasting
41 Comments
Looks like a dentist’s office inside + so many original features were removed it’s probably beyond salvageable.
People with such abysmal taste should be legally barred from owning property.
NO GARLIC!!!!! Per l’amor del cielo. Un italiano ti caccerebbe dal paese a colpi di straccio bagnato.
Authentic Italian ragù never uses garlic.
5:02 … First, you’re not breaking anything up here — you’re just pushing the clumps from left to right. Second, there’s too much meat in the pot at once. That’s why your meat is boiling instead of frying.
No Gnocchi! Serve it with Tagliatelle.
Exceptional Ragu made as shown but used Gruyère rind instead of Parmesan and after prep cooked in slow cooker. I haven’t commented before but have used quite a few of your recipes and cooking techniques from your channel and every one a success and now I am being told by my family and friends I should go on Masterchef. 😀
rangu
A sufruito is an Italian version of a mer poithe?? I love how he says this as if I know what either is
I kept waiting for the ragu to be cooked in the copper pot
I went off the "tradizionale" script a bit myself and happy to say can duplicate. A Ragu which is closer to a "streetwalker "of a Bolognaise but with no carrots .Much deeper blacker red color , vermillion if one were to choose from a palette .Earthy -but briney like a Puttanesca ,with anchovies ,black olives and Crimini mushrooms crudely chopped.
I'm living in Italy and i swear that i never order pasta ragù in restaurants. I tasted it years ago several times but it never tasted like my wifes or my mother in laws ragù. Not even near. My mother in law used carnation but my wife hate this spice. My wifes ragu is 9,5 while her mothers ragù is definitely a 10 🙂
I learnt making ragù from my italian suocera 30 years ago, and I approve of this recipe!! 😉
Was so good till I saw him adding the chicken stock lol.
Either way – good recipe – can use a lot from this!
I used to use red wine. But I read my Italian classics and it said always white. I switched. Never will I go back to red. Other than that the only thing you've done differently to me is the pork belly (and I don't use smoked pancetta). Nice to know I'm on the right track 😁
Parmesan rind is also amazing used in the milk used for lasagne bechemel. Keeps in the freezer for ages
I got so many tips out of this. Glad to see I was half way there with a lot of things. The milk is the big difference which I will try next! One day I'll slow cook it for 4 hours.
"time" so underrated
Question. Is tomato puree what the British call tomato paste? That's what it looked like to me.
Thanks a lot for explaining the WHY of all the techniques. Much appreciated!
First time I've seen a chef with a body cam.
I was fascinated until you added 50g of sugar for roundness.
15:50 You bloody did mate. Couldn't have said that better myself.
I'm gonna have to follow these Fallow fellows!
Marco method – 4 stockpots
You are a chef and have only recently appreciated the importance of milk in a ragu? Shame on you!
TL,DR: caramelize everything
that gastri is just like japanese mirin!!
Carrot is so overrated.
Such an inspiring channel
"I've nailed that" haha. Definitely going to try this recipe.
Tried this tonight, really easy to make and the whole family loved it. Only thing I changed was to hold back just a little on the gastrique and let people drizzle additional over their own plate if they wanted, as we all have different palettes in that regard.
Absolute cracker of a dish, thanks as always for sharing Fallow!
Is he using smoked or uncooked pancetta? Also, I imagine would need to skim off some fat at the end?
I like Adam Ragusea's trick of adding just a bit of finely chopped chicken liver.
Matty Matheson is using Milk in his version of Lasagna close to the end of the cooking process.
let me guess, dangerously high amounts of fat?
Putting in all the ground beef at once? This is where you lost me. You want color on the beef … you don‘t want to boil it. Put half of it in or even less. And everything will be much nicer and not swimming in water.
Chicken Stock in Ragout? Stock out of a plastic bag? Ugh
Well done but too much talking for simple Bolognese sauce
Thank you so much for sharing this. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try making it. I love your channel.
use pork not beef
Awesome recipe and easy to follow – but the idea that a 5 hour recipe is a midweek meal is jokes 😂
Nice recipe. Way way too much talking, omg.
I'm a very amateur cook but do pride myself in my spag bol – always added dash of milk in before wine as it adds something I couldn't put my finger on.. until now! Thank you for enlightening me! Can't believe my culinary instincts were so in tune with Marco Pierre White's hahaha