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Pork Cheek Ragu

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There are very few things better in life than quality Italian cuisine. This was cemented in my being one early morning in a 30 second elevator ride in downtown Los Angeles.

I feel that this might need some clarification.

It was around 3:00 in the morning and I had run into one of the other fine, upstanding citizens in my building that was naturally coming home feeling as socially lubricated as I was. In the ride from the lobby to the 2nd floor, where my apartment was, we became the best of friends (as drunk people do) over the knowledge that he was Italian and I loved the simplicity of Italian food. Good pasta, some fresh tomatoes, butter, and basil were all you needed for a good meal. His response of, “Mama mia!” was the signal that we should go to the roof, enjoy some more whiskey, and discuss food.

My love for Italian cuisine is based on that simplicity that makes the best things in life: a good old-fashioned, a walk on the right kind of day, or a well-built bookcase. The best things in life are often the most simple, and therefore, the easiest to fuck up. That’s what makes them so wonderful.

If you’re looking for a basic tomato sauce recipe, please note that this isn’t it. Please stop reading this and go buy The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual. Seriously. It’s probably the best cookbook I own and their sauce is the base for this sauce you see here. Tomato sauce is such an important component of their cooking that the recipe makes an appearance IN THE INTRODUCTION. Their basic sauce is nothing but tomatoes, garlic, salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes: five ingredients that make an amazingly versatile sauce.

Oh and time. A lot of time.

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I’m also a big fan of pork cheek. It’s a great little bit of meat that takes hours to cook and is perfectly suited for ragu and other long-cooking dishes. If you can’t find pork cheek at your local butcher, ground pork works just as well in this recipe.

Here are some tips before you begin:

  • Make sure you do all of the prep work before you start cooking anything. Smash your tomatoes. Peel your garlic. Finely dice your bell peppers and onion. It will save you from starting over.
  • Feel free to buy the pre-peeled garlic for this one. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s peeling garlic and this recipe calls for a lot of it.
  • Whatever you do, do NOT step out of the kitchen while browning the garlic. It is VERY easy to overcook it way too fast. You have at least 4 hours to go do something else, so take the time to make sure you cook the garlic right.
  • Cooking all of your vegetables in this dish happens faster than you think. Make sure everything is prepped before you cook.
  • Use the lowest heat you can on your stove. There is nothing worse than burnt, acidic garlic.
  • Since this is such a simple recipe, it is in your best interests to use the best ingredients you can find. If you want to forgo canned tomatoes for fresh, blanched tomatoes, feel free. I’ve done it before and it’s amazing. About 2 pounds should do if I remember right.
  • If you have leftover rinds of Parmesan cheese, feel free to throw one in.
  • This sauce also does well with some red wine added to it. Just make sure it hasn’t been sitting around for too long.
  • Use whatever color of bell pepper and onion you want, just make sure that they’re finely diced…unless you want your sauce to be a bit more chunky.
  • Don’t over salt your sauce in the beginning. It will cook down over a few hours and a little salt can go a long way. You can always add more later.
  • Don’t try to do this recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. While I’m a big fan of both, this sauce needs to be able to let water evaporate.
  • Use whatever pasta you like, but I recommend using as fresh as you can, under cooking it a bit, and finishing it with sauce and butter in a pan. Using a thicker pasta, like linguine or fettuccine would be my go-to.
  • Stir before you taste! The oil will naturally rise to the top, trapping all the heat under it.
  • Be prepared for your home to smell delicious for hours. Break out some wine and meats and cheeses while you wait. Sauce is an all day love affair.
That’s some fine choppin’.

Pork Cheek Ragu

Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian

Equipment

  • Knife, can opener, heavy pot

Ingredients
  

  • 2 28 oz cans Peeled tomatoes
  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil Approximate.
  • 2 Head Garlic
  • 1 Pinch Red pepper flakes
  • 2 Bell peppers Finely diced.
  • 1 Medium onion Finely diced.
  • 1 Pound Pork Cheek
  • Salt & Pepper To taste

Instructions
 

  • Peel the garlic and set aside.
  • Finely dice the bell pepper and onion and set aside.
  • Pour the cans of tomatoes into a large bowl. Discard any basil and smash the tomatoes with your hands, discarding the stems.
  • Add the oil to your pot and heat with a low heat. Do not allow the oil to smoke. If the oil smokes, start over.
  • Add the garlic and slowly cook until golden. If the garlic smells sharp or acidic, start over.
  • Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until the veg has softened.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes. Be careful not to splash any hot oil on yourself!
  • Add the pork cheeks (if using ground pork, you can wait until the sauce has cooked a while since it takes less time to cook).
  • Let simmer at a very low heat for 4-7 hours. Stir occasionally. Mother it.
  • When finished, use the back of a wooden spoon to break apart the pork cheeks and any garlic cloves that have yet to break down.