A ragu is defined by time. Three pounds of chuck cut into just three large pieces spends eight hours on Low, which is what turns connective tissue into the body that makes the sauce cling.
The pappardelle is not incidental. Wide ribbons are what a shredded ragu is designed to sit on, and they are part of what the dish is rather than a pasta you happen to have.
Why This Recipe Works
- Browning three large pieces rather than many small ones gives colour without drying the surface area out.
- Onion, carrot and celery cook down over eight hours into the sweet savoury base underneath the tomato.
- Tomato paste alongside crushed tomatoes concentrates the flavour that a cup of wine and a cup of broth would otherwise dilute.
- Shredding at the end rather than cubing at the start means the beef takes on the sauce instead of drying in it.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef chuck roast
- Three pounds cut into three large pieces. Large is the point — small cubes would dry out over eight hours.
- Dry red wine
- One cup, in at the start. Eight hours cooks the alcohol off and leaves the depth.
- Pappardelle
- Sixteen ounces, cooked separately. The wide ribbons are part of the dish, not a substitution.
How to Make It
Brown the beef
Brown the beef in olive oil on all sides and transfer it to the slow cooker.
Build the sauce
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, broth, wine, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Eight hours on Low
Cover and cook on Low for about 8 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
Shred and tighten
Discard the bay leaf, shred the beef into the sauce, and simmer uncovered on High for 10 to 15 minutes if the ragu needs to tighten.
Serve over pappardelle
Spoon the shredded beef ragu over wide pappardelle and finish with Parmesan and parsley.
Eight Hours, Four Moves
Almost nothing happens between the second and third moves, and that is the recipe. Each rung takes the beef further from a roast and closer to a sauce.
BrownAll sides browned, including the ends.
Three pounds of chuck in three large pieces, browned on every side in a tablespoon of olive oil. Large pieces mean the surface colours without the interior drying.
Build
Diced onion, carrot and celery with garlic, 2 tbsp tomato paste, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a cup each of beef broth and dry red wine, oregano, a bay leaf, salt and pepper - all in around the beef.
BraiseFork-tender - the beef gives way with no resistance.
About 8 hours on LOW, undisturbed. The soffritto disappears into the sauce and the connective tissue in the chuck breaks down into the body that makes a ragu cling.
Shred and tighten
Bay leaf out, beef shredded directly into the sauce so it absorbs rather than sits in it. Uncovered on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes only if the ragu is still loose.
Success Tips
- Brown all sides properly, including the ends. It is the only browning the dish gets.
- Leave the beef alone for the full eight hours. Fork-tender is the target, not just cooked.
- Only tighten on High if the sauce is loose after shredding — it often does not need it.
Serving Ideas
Eight servings of shredded beef ragu over wide pappardelle ribbons, finished with finely grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different pasta?
Pappardelle is part of the dish identity here rather than an optional swap.
Should I cut the beef into cubes first?
No. It goes in as three large pieces and is shredded into the sauce at the end.
Do I have to use wine?
The recipe as written uses a cup of dry red alongside a cup of beef broth.
