Slow-Cooker Beef and Onion Ragu
By Katie LeairdPublished on April 19, 2016
Time
5 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 (1- to 1 ¼-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch piecesSalt and pepper 2 pounds onions, chopped coarse2 ounces pancetta, chopped coarse2 ounces salami, chopped coarse1 small carrot, peeled and chopped1 small celery rib, chopped⅓ cup dry white wine ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 pound rigatoni 2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
Before You Begin
In step 6, don’t be too forceful while mashing the meat; the action of stirring in the pasta will further break it down.
Instructions
- Sprinkle beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Pulse onions in food processor until finely minced, about 15 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to large bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain onions in fine-mesh strainer, pressing with rubber spatula to extract excess liquid. Return drained onions to now-empty bowl.
- Process pancetta, salami, carrot, and celery in now-empty processor until ground to paste, about 45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer pancetta mixture to bowl with onions. Stir wine, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, tomato paste, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into onion mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Pour onion mixture over beef in slow cooker to cover. (Scrape sides of cooker with rubber spatula to remove any onion pieces.) Cover and cook until beef is fully tender, 5 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
- Using potato masher, mash meat until coarsely shredded into bite-size pieces. Stir in Pecorino and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer pasta to slow cooker and stir to combine with sauce. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzled with extra oil and sprinkled with extra Pecorino.
Time
5 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on lowYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
1 (1- to 1 ¼-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
2 ounces pancetta, chopped coarse
2 ounces salami, chopped coarse
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small celery rib, chopped
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound rigatoni
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 (1- to 1 ¼-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
2 ounces pancetta, chopped coarse
2 ounces salami, chopped coarse
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small celery rib, chopped
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound rigatoni
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 (1- to 1 ¼-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 pounds onions, chopped coarse
2 ounces pancetta, chopped coarse
2 ounces salami, chopped coarse
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small celery rib, chopped
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound rigatoni
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We capitalize don the slow cooker’s low, slow, moist cooking environment to make this meaty peasant-style pasta sauce. The long simmer required to break down the collagen and melt the fatty pockets of chuck-eye roast is easy work in the slow cooker. To ensure that the mixture didn’t become too soupy, we drew excess water out of the onions before adding them to the pot.
Before You Begin
In step 6, don’t be too forceful while mashing the meat; the action of stirring in the pasta will further break it down.
Instructions
- Sprinkle beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Pulse onions in food processor until finely minced, about 15 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to large bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain onions in fine-mesh strainer, pressing with rubber spatula to extract excess liquid. Return drained onions to now-empty bowl.
- Process pancetta, salami, carrot, and celery in now-empty processor until ground to paste, about 45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer pancetta mixture to bowl with onions. Stir wine, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, tomato paste, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into onion mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Pour onion mixture over beef in slow cooker to cover. (Scrape sides of cooker with rubber spatula to remove any onion pieces.) Cover and cook until beef is fully tender, 5 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
- Using potato masher, mash meat until coarsely shredded into bite-size pieces. Stir in Pecorino and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer pasta to slow cooker and stir to combine with sauce. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzled with extra oil and sprinkled with extra Pecorino.
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