Tri Tip Ragu
Beef up your boring meat sauce, literally!
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound tri tipsteak (cut into 3-4 pieces)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 cups beer broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme or a few springs of fresh thyme
Instructions
Tri Tip Ragu
- Prepare the beef by patting it dry and generously seasoning it with salt and pepper.
- In a sturdy pot, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. Give each piece of beef a good sear, making sure to brown all sides thoroughly. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes in total. Once done, transfer the beef onto a plate.
- Reduce the stove to medium-low and add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Now, let's dive into the soffrito: sauté garlic and onions for a couple of minutes. Introduce the carrots and celery and continue the slow sauté for a patient 5 minutes.
- Add remaining Ragu ingredients and return the beef to the pot along with any juicy goodness on the plate. Crank up the heat to get it simmering, then lower it to a gentle bubble (take note).
- Cover the pot and let it slow-cook for a good 2 hours or until the beef reaches that tender, shred-worthy consistency (check Note 5 for slow cooker and pressure cooker variations).
- Time to shred – use two forks to coarsely break down the beef. Return it to the pot and let it simmer for an additional 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. The beef will also soften a bit more during this step.
- Give it a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper. If the sauce leans a tad sour for your preference (see Note 6), throw in half a teaspoon of sugar.Put a lid on it and set it aside until you're ready to serve. Pro tip: It's even better the next day, and you can freeze it for months if you're feeling extra prepared!
Assemble with your favorite homemade or store bought pasta
- Boil a sea-sized pot of water with a tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta a minute less than the packet's nagging. Meanwhile, heat 5 cups of Ragu in a spacious pan.Toss freshly cooked pasta into the Ragu pool using tongs. Pour 3/4 cup of pasta water into the mix. Toss gently for 1-2 minutes until the sauce hugs the pasta.Serve immediately with a generous dusting of either parmesan or parmigiano reggiano. Bon appétit!