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Pork ragu is all about juicy, fall-apart pork slow-cooked in a rich sauce of tomato, garlic, red wine and herbs that clings to every strand of pasta. Pop it on early and let it gently do its thing while you get on with your day. Come dinnertime, your kitchen smells incredible and you can have a glossy, comforting bowl on the table in about 10 minutes.
“A huge hit with my family. We’ve made it multiple times now. I always make extra and freeze some too.”
Nicky’s Notes
This take on a pork ragu leans on pork shoulder steaks for maximum flavour and tenderness, the gentle fat marbling in the pork melts into the sauce so you get that restaurant-style sheen.
It’s lip-smackingly good tossed through fresh Pasta with a side of garlic bread for a little crunch.
The recipe makes enough for 6–8 and it freezes beautifully, so enjoy half now and save the rest for a speedy dinner another night, future you with thank you.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients For Pork Ragu
Note on the pork
I use pork shoulder steaks that I chop into large pieces. The shoulder pieces have small amounts of fat running through them, which break down during the long, slow cooking process, leaving you with tender, juicy meat and a silky, rich sauce.
Note on the tomatoes
I like to use finely chopped tinned tomatoes because I started buying them recently and I love them! But you can use regular tinned tomatoes or even passata if you prefer.
Note on the wine
Red wine – any red wine will do, or you can leave it out entirely if you prefer not to use alcohol in cooking.
Ingredients Swaps/Recipe Changes
- Replace the pork with beef or lamb for a change
- Add in chopped fresh chillies or a good pinch of cayenne for a spicy kick
- Add in mushrooms or some halved baby tomatoes if you’d like more veggies.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
<<Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.>>
Season pork with salt and pepper, brown in a little butter and oil (pan or slow cooker on sear), then lower the heat and soften the onion; add red pepper and garlic, splash in the red wine.
Stir in tomato puree, sugar, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, tinned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and stock; bring to the boil (transfer to the slow cooker now if you started in a pan).
Cook on high for 4–5 hours or low for 7–8 hours; discard bay leaves, shred the pork, season to taste and serve.
Deep, savoury and gently sweet from long-cooked tomatoes; the pork is soft, tender and shreddy, with a glossy, velvety finish that clings to pasta.
What to serve it with
- Pasta – I love tagliatelle or pappardelle – (how about homemade pasta), but you can serve with short pasta too.
- Over Jacket Potatoes
- With Creamy Mashed Potatoes , Sauteed Potatoes or even with some Roast Potatoes
- It’s not unheard of for me to stuff it into homemade Bao Buns
I served mine over fresh tagliatelle, topped with fresh parmesan and parsley, alongside some homemade garlic bread.
How to scale down this recipe
This recipe freezes well, so it’s great if you want to cook it and freeze a few batches.
However, if you’d prefer to cook less, you can halve all of the amounts EXCEPT the stock and it will cook in the same way. You need a little more liquid if you’re making less.
Watch how to make it
Slow Cooked Pork Ragu Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork shoulder steaks chopped into large chunks
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) red wine
- 3 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste) usually gluten-free, but check if required
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) tins finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
To Serve:
- cooked pasta
- grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the butter and oil in a large pan (or in your slow cooker bowl if it has a searing function) until the butter melts.1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper and then place in the pan. Seal the meat on all sides (should take 7-10 mins).1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork shoulder steaks, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Turn the heat down and add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes – stirring a couple of times – until the onion starts to soften.1 large onion
- Add in the red pepper and garlic, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes.1 red bell pepper, 3 cloves garlic
- Add in the red wine and let it bubble down for a couple of minutes.60 ml (4 tbsp) red wine
- Add in the tomato puree, sugar, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, tinned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and stock. Stir, and then bring everything to a gentle simmer.3 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste), 2 tbsp sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) tins finely chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce, 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
- If you've been cooking it in the pan until this stage, now is the time to pour everything into the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- After this time, discard the bay leaves and shred the meat with two forks or a potato masher. It should be very tender. Test for seasoning and add in more salt and pepper if needed.salt and pepper
- Serve the pork on top of cooked pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.cooked pasta, grated parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, we think it tastes even better when made ahead and reheated – as it allows the flavours to develop even further. Once cooked, cool quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan or the microwave until piping hot throughout.Can I freeze it?
Yes. Once cooked, cool, then split into portions if necessary, cover and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a pan or the microwave until piping hot throughout. Nutritional Information is per serving of Pork ragu, WITHOUT pasta or parmesan.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This pork ragu recipe was first published in April 2015. Updated in September 2020 with new photos, video, tips and a few little tweaks to the recipe. Updated since for housekeeping reasons.
More Italian-inspired recipes
- Tuscan Chicken Soup
- Creamy Tomato Risotto < the best meat-free risotto ever!
- Lasagne
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Carbonara
- Tuscan Chicken
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- and for something sweet Chewy Amaretti Cookies
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A huge hit with my family. We’ve made it multiple times now. I always make extra and freeze some too.
Hello,
i want to make this recipe but i dont have a slow cooker. How long does this dish have to stew in the oven?
thank you 🙂
Made this twice now – I like to add two teaspoons smoked paprika and serve with homemade tagliatelle hmmm delicious!
Let me start by saying I already had leftover pulled pork from a get together that we had. My husband had slow cooked the pork shoulders on the bbq grill so my pork had a bit of a smoky flavor to start. So I used one pound instead of the pork shoulder called for. I also didn’t have any red wine so I added a bit more stock. I think the wine would have been a bonus. Since my pork had already been slow cooked I didn’t use a crock pot and cooked the ragu on the stovetop. It was delicious served over wide egg noodles. I would like to try this recipe again and make it as instructed. I’m sure it could only be better!
Thanks Patricia,
Part of the fun of cooking is adapting recipes to suit what you have in or what you can get hold of and still manage to make a delicious meal and I love the idea of using smoked pulled pork.
Thanks
Chris
Once again, clean plates on the table. Great recipe – thank you!
Put this in the slow cooker yesterday before work, came home to wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. Delicious dinner then ready in less than 30 mins. Definitely making this again.