Leftover Prime Rib Ragù
Turn leftover prime rib into another meal by making it into a rich homemade ragù that can be served with pasta & gnocchi, on burgers or in a lasagne!
Servings: 8 People
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
Ragù
- 800 g Leftover Roasted Prime Rib (See Notes)
- 2 White Onions
- 2 Large Carrots
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 250 ml Red Wine
- 750 ml Beef Stock
- 400 g Tinned Tomatoes (1 Tin)
- A Few Sprigs Of Fresh Rosemary & Thyme (Tied Together)
- 1 Bay Leaf
To Finish
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
Ragù
- First, chop the leftover prime rib into 1 inch chunks then set to one side.
- Peel & finely dice the onions & carrots. Dice the celery as well but there's no need to peel - just make sure they're clean. Grate the garlic now as well but set to one side.
- Next, set a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two. Once hot, add in the chunks of prime rib then cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until well seared.Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. If needed, sear the beef in batches.
- Once seared, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium then add in the diced onion, carrot & celery, along with a pinch of salt then cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Make sure to stir the veg frequently. When the veg is cooked, add in the grated garlic then cook for another 30 seconds.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste, cook for a minute then pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon/spatula to deglaze.
- Let the red wine reduce by about two thirds then add in the beef stock, tin of tomatoes & herbs. Add the seared beef back in then season the sauce with salt & pepper.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid then gently simmer the ragù for 2-2½ hours until the beef is tender. You need to be able to shred it easily.To test the beef, lift a piece out of the sauce then use 2 forks to see if you can pull it apart.
- Once the beef is ready, use a slotted spoon to lift it out of the sauce & onto a tray. Set this aside for now. Take the herbs out of the sauce now as well; they can be discarded!
To Finish
- Turn the heat back up to medium then bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thick & has reduced by around 50%.
- Whilst the sauce is reducing, shred the beef into bitesize pieces (not too small!). You can do this with forks or by hand (wear food safe gloves).
- Once the sauce has reduced, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar & the shredded beef. Cook for another couple of minutes, to let the flavours meld together then season to taste with salt & pepper.
- The ragù can be served straight away or you can leave it to cool then store in the fridge for up to 3 days & reheat to serve. It will taste even better if you let it chill in the fridge overnight!See the notes section (or the post above) for some serving suggestions!
Notes
1. To Cook In An Aga - Use the boiling plate to sear the beef, to cook the veg & to deglaze the pan. Move over to the simmering plate once you've added in the stock & tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes then cook on the floor of the simmering oven until tender (around 3 hours). Reduce the sauce on the boiling plate.
2. Leftover Prime Rib - For this batch of ragù, you'll need 800 g of leftover roasted prime rib. However, you can make half a batch, using less beef if required. I used leftovers from my reverse seared prime rib. The timings for cooking the ragù are based on the leftover beef being cooked pink (medium rare - medium). If yours is cooked more than this, it won't take as long to cook.
3. Beef Stock - You can use a homemade beef stock or a good quality stock pot/cube dissolved in hot water. I had 500ml of leftover bone marrow gravy, which I made up to 750ml with water!
4. Tinned Tomatoes - A good quality tin of chopped tomatoes works best for this recipe. You could use plum tomatoes but you'll need to break them up with a spoon as they cook.
5. Storage - Once cool, this prime rib ragù will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for several months. The flavour of the ragù will be even better if you let it chill in the fridge overnight before using!
6. Serving - This recipe makes plenty of ragù; enough for 8 people! I served half of mine with 500 grams of gnocchi but it's good with pasta, in a lasagne or even in a pie or on a pizza. To reheat, warm the sauce back up in a pan over a medium heat. It needs to be piping hot!