Pork Sugo Recipes

PORK SUGO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels, then season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large dutch oven or skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork (working in batches, if your skillet isn't large enough to cook the meat in a single layer) and sear on all sides, about 4-6 minutes. Remove pork with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
• Add chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• Pour in crushed tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up any brown bits, then add wine and chicken stock. Return pork to the pot, then bring liquid to a boil.
• Meanwhile, tie the thyme and oregano sprigs together with kitchen twine. Add herbs and red pepper flakes to the pot, cover, then transfer to the oven and cook for 2-2 ½ hours.
• When pork is fork tender, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. To shred the pork, either remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl or working directly in the pot use two forks to pull the meat in opposite directions.
• Add apple cider vinegar to the pot, then return pork and stir to combine. Serve immediately (over pasta? polenta? baked potato? FRENCH FRIES?). Sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.

PORK RAGOUT WITH PAPPARDELLE PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, salt both sides of each rib, then add to the pot and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir to combine and then partially cover with a lid. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the wine, bay leaves, thyme, crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Nestle in the browned ribs (and any accumulated juices), then add the crushed tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of water (it's nice to rinse the tomato can out with water and then use 1 1/2 cups of that "tomato water"). Bring to a high simmer, then adjust to a low simmer and cover the pot partially with the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and falling apart and the sauce has reduced, about 2 hours. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the pot and add back into the sauce. Remove the pieces of pork and let them cool slightly; finely shred the meat, then stir back into the sauce. The sauce can now be finished and served or it can be cooled down, refrigerated and reheated the next day.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the package instructions, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Stir the parsley into the sauce and adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. Thin out with a little of the reserved pasta water and stir in the torn basil. Divide the cooked pasta among bowls and top each with some ragout. Drizzle each bowl with a little olive oil, top with a generous amount of Parmesan and garnish with a few basil leaves.

PORK SUGO

Steps:

• 1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat until the pieces are golden brown all over, about 12 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the red wine and thyme sprigs and cook over high heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours. 2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and vegetables to a food processor; discard the thyme sprigs. Pulse just until the pork is shredded. Scrape the shredded pork and vegetables back into the casserole. Stir in the chopped parsley, oregano and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper. 3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until it is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain well. Add the orecchiette to the casserole and toss with the pork sauce. Scrape the pasta into a very large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake the casserole in the upper third of the oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling. Let the baked pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

PORK SUGO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325.
• Cut your bone-in pork shoulder or pork roast into 4-5 pieces, following the white lines of fat as a cutting guide. Remove any large chunks of fat and discard. Pat the pieces dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat up your oil over high heat and brown for a few minutes on each side, until a nice golden brown crust develops. Remove to a side plate.
• In the drippings, soften your finely diced onion, carrot & celery for 7-8 minute over medium heat, and then add in your tomato paste and cayenne or red pepper for an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir to coat, and then pour in the red wine and reduce by half (another 8-10 min.)
• Meanwhile, heat up your chicken stock, your tomato sauce and your thawed, chopped tomatoes. The tomato sauce and tomatoes can be warmed in the same pot, but keep the stock separate.
• Add the pieces of pork back into the veggies and pour the tomatoes and tomato sauce all around them. Ladle in about 1 cup of the chicken stock, and the spices (oregano, rosemary and bay leaf.) Cover and remove from heat.
• Place the covered pot into the oven for 3 hours. Check once halfway to make sure the liquid isn't too low, and add more stock as needed.
• After three hours, check to see if the pork is falling off the bones and whether a small sharp knife easily slides in. Two options now, depending on when you'd like to serve it:
• MAKE AHEAD: This dish tastes even better the second day. Once it's cooled, place the whole pot into the fridge overnight. About an hour and a half before serving the following day, bring it out and scoop off any congealed orange fat and discard. Heat it up so you can stir (maybe adding in more chicken stock, the sauce will get thicker in the fridge.)
• CONTINUE RECIPE: If you are continuing to cook the dish and serve it right away, spoon off most of the thin, orange-colored fat that settles on top after a few minutes off heat.
• Make your pasta and reserve a little of the water. A pappardelle style or egg noodle is traditionally used, but just about any pasta you have will work.
• Remove the meat from the sauce. Using your fingers, pull it off the bones and shred it, and discard bones. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for about 10 minutes. Optional to pass the sauce through a food mill (if you don't have a food mill, you can just use a blender or skip.)
• Add the shredded meat back to the sauce and reduce heat to medium-low. Place the cooked and strained pasta back in its cooking pot and add in some of the pork sugo and a splash (1/4-1/3 cup) of pasta water. Optional to add a little minced kale in too. Stir so the sauce clings to the noodles and absorbs some of the pasta water.
• Serve in individual dishes, and top with more sauce. Pass some minced parsley and freshly grated parmesan for garnish.
• This sauce freezes really well (without pasta) for easy and delicious leftovers or lunches throughout the week. You might want to add a little water or stock when reheating.

ORECCHIETTE WITH PULLED-PORK SUGO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
• Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Roast in a small flameproof roasting pan tightly covered with foil, covered, 2 hours. Uncover and continue roasting until some of the meat begins to pull apart easily, 1 to 2 hours more. Transfer pork to a cutting board and cool slightly. Pull pork into small pieces and coarsely chop.
• Cook orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) 8 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked). Reserving 2 cups pasta-cooking liquid, drain pasta in a colander.
• Pour off all but 3 tablespoon fat from roasting pan and place pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in wine, broth, beans, vinegar, and pork. Transfer to pasta pot and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer, then add orecchiette and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and thin sauce with additional cooking liquid if necessary. Serve with additional cheese.

BAKED ORECCHIETTE WITH PORK SUGO

Steps:

• Season the pork with salt and pepper.
• In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering.
• Add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat until the pieces are golden brown all over, about 12 minutes.
• Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 8 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer.
• Add the red wine and thyme sprigs and cook over high heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the stock and bring to a boil.
• Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and vegetables to a food processor; discard the thyme sprigs.
• Pulse just until the pork is shredded.
• Scrape the shredded pork and vegetables back into the casserole.
• Stir in the chopped parsley, oregano and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until it is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain well.
• Add the orecchiette to the casserole and toss with the pork sauce.
• Scrape the pasta into a very large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Bake the casserole in the upper third of the oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.
• Let the baked pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• *The pork sugo can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before tossing with the orecchiette.
• **Serve with a Green salad and Rich, black-fruited Amarone Classico: 2004 Masi Costasera.

SLOW-COOKER PORK SHOULDER SUGO

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork shoulder 4 minutes on fattiest side, then turn and cook 3 minutes each on other 3 sides. Transfer to 6-quart slow cooker.
• Add onion mixture to skillet with pork juices; cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown. Add red wine; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until all liquid is absorbed. Stir in tomatoes; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Pour mixture over pork in slow cooker. Add broth and anchovies; stir liquid. Cook on Low heat setting 8 hours or High heat setting 4 hours.
• Transfer pork to cutting board; cool slightly. Cool liquid 10 minutes, then carefully puree in blender in batches, and return to slow cooker. Set slow cooker to Warm heat setting. Shred pork, discarding any pieces of fat. Add pork to liquid in slow cooker, and stir to combine.