Slow-braised beef brisket ragu with pappardelle

Beef brisket slowly braises in a rich tomato-based sauce until meltingly tender and falling apart. Tossed through pappardelle this is a classic and delicious pasta dish where time is a key ingredient. Winter is settling into Cape Town now and all I want is comforting hearty dishes that kind of cook themselves like this ragu. It’s the perfect dish to serve a crowd or freeze off half for later use. 

This recipe was developed to pair with the Stark-Condé Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. Stark-Condé is situated in the pristine Jonkershoek Valley in Stelenbosch, with particularly suitable conditions to make very good Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards are farmed organically to produce premium handcrafted wines. Their tasting room on the farm is a real gem and well worth a trip if you are in the area.

*Optional extra – I love gremolata but the lemon can be very strong for this dish, so a generous scattering of Parmesan and chopped parsley does the trick to finish it off. I do like a tiny grating of lemon zest too though. you could also make a garnish by mixing a small bunch of chopped parsley with olive oil, a hint of chopped chilli and a tiny amount of grated lemon zest. A drizzle of this green sauce wakes everything up a bit but it’s entirely optional. 

What to serve with this dish:

This dish is delicious with pasta, but works very well with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

A green salad dressed with a classic vinaigrette would work well as a side dish and balance out the richness.

*Cooks Notes – You can use chuck or other stewing meat to make this dish.

Recipe – serves 8 – 10 (make the quantity of pasta accordingly)

Slow-braised beef brisket ragu with pappardelle recipe

A delicious and classic slow-braised beef brisket ragu with pappardelle recipe.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:3 hours hrs

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg / 3lb – beef brisket
• Olive oil for frying
• 4 rashers of streaky bacon
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 x 400gms / 28oz can Italian chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups of beef stock or broth
• 1 cup of red wine
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 Tbs chopped rosemary
• 1 Tbsp chopped thyme leaves
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley to serve
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve
• Pappardelle pasta 800gms / 28oz will feed 8 people
• Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F.
• Cut the brisket into 4 -6 pieces and season well with salt & pepper and remove from the fridge about an hour or 2 before cooking.
• Heat a generous splash of olive oil in the base of a large cast-iron lidded skillet and when hot, add the meat. Brown the meat until golden on all sides then remove and set aside.
• In the same pan, add another splash of olive oil if necessary and add the chopped onion and bacon. Sauté for around 4 minutes until soft. Put the lid on for a minute or 2 to allow a little steam into the pan to help soften the onions.
• Add the chopped carrot celery and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook briefly for about 30 seconds then add the wine and allow this to reduce by half.
• Add the tins of tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and sugar. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and bring everything to a bubble.
• Once bubbling, add the meat back (and any juices) and close the lid and place it in the oven. Cook for 3 hours and until the meat is shredding easily. Cook for a little longer if this is not happening after 3 hours.
• When this is ready, remove the meat and shred it, then return this to the sauce and reheat (if necessary) on the stovetop.
• The brisket ragu can be made in advance or the day before. When you are ready to serve boil the pappardelle for 5 – 6 minutes until al dente, strain and toss the rag through the pasta.
• Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve with generous gratings of Parmesan.

Notes

Any leftover meat can be stored in the fridge or freezer.

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Sam Linsell

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*This post is proudly sponsored by Starke-Conde Wines

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