Braised Pork Shank Ragu

Main Dish

This recipe comes to us from James Peisker of Porter Road Butcher. Pro-tip: Don't want to throw away your extra tomato paste? Measure out 1 tablespoon dollops on wax paper, freeze for an hour, then bag them up to save for your next recipe.

Photography By Teresa Blackburn | October 28, 2021

Ingredients

2 tablespoons grape seed oil
salt
2 pork shanks
1 1/2 pound flat ribbon pasta, pappardelle or similar
1 large white onion, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups dry white wine
3 cups stock or water
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, whole
1 small handful parsley, chopped
pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil in 6 quart or similar sized Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Salt pork shanks liberally and sear on all sides until golden brown. Remove pork from pot.

3. Add onions to Dutch oven and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add tomato paste*, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and garlic and cook 2 minutes.

4. Add flour, stirring vigorously to incorporate. Once all flour has disappeared, add pork shanks back to pot along with white wine, stock, and rosemary. Cover with lid and cook in oven 2 ½ - 3 hours. No need to stir or turn the shanks. Ensure braising liquid comes halfway up shanks, adding more stock or water as needed throughout cooking time. Stop adding liquid in final 30 minutes to allow some braising liquid to naturally dissipate, leaving a nice thick sauce at the end.

5. After 3 ½ - 4 hours, shanks should be soft and easy to flake from the bone. Remove from oven and uncover. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta. Drain.

6. Shred meat from bone and stir meat back into braising liquid. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Spoon over pasta or mix both together. Finish with parsley to serve.