4 Best Beef Cuts For Slow Cooking Ragu: How To Choose Beef For Slow Cooker Ragu?
Ragu is an Italian sauce that can be made with different meats and vegetables depending on what you have available.
However, this dish requires quite a lot of time to make the perfect sauce.
That’s where the slow cooker does the job.
It’s perfect for making some delicious beef ragu.
If you want to make your own beef ragu, choosing beef for a slow cooker ragu is a simple task if you know what to look for.
In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the best cuts of beef for your slow cooker and why they’re used!
How to Choose Beef for Slow Cooker Ragu
The best thing about a slow cooker is that you can throw whatever ingredients you have lying around into the pot and voila! You get a delicious meal.
If you want to make an amazing beef ragu, choose your meat very carefully.
Here are some tips on how to pick out the perfect cut of beef for your slow cooker ragu recipe.
Choose Flavorful Beef Cuts
Although this cooking style suits almost all the cuts regardless of prices, you should choose the tender and well-flavored cuts, so it doesn’t dry out in the slow cooker.
There are many options available for this dish, including chuck roast, top sirloin steak tips, short ribs and tri-tip.
Decide Your Cooking Time
Each beef cut requires a different amount of cooking time to cook them until they are fork-tender: you need 4 – 6 hours for chuck roast, 9 – 10 hours for sirloin, and maybe more than that for oxtail.
Thus, mind your time when it comes to making ragu, so your dish won’t be overcooked.
What Cuts of Beef Are Best for Slow Cooking?
Choosing the right beef for a slow cooker ragu is important because you want to get the best flavor and texture possible.
1. Chuck Roast
Choosing the right beef for your slow cooker ragu is important.
You want to use a cut that has enough fat in it to give an extra richness when cooked, but not so much that you can’t cook the meat long-slow in the crockpot without ruining it.
Chuck roast is an inexpensive cut that can be used in dishes like slow cooker ragu, which has just enough fat and tenderness to cook well in my crockpot.
It also contains collagen which helps break down during the long cooking time so that the sauce thickens without having too much starch added from potatoes or rice.
It can take anywhere from 4-to 6 hours at low heat to get tender, so make sure you have enough time before starting your dish.
Keep in mind, that if you want a more flavorful sauce, use browned meat instead.
This will add flavor by caramelizing the outside while keeping the inside moist and tender.
2. Oxtail
Oxtail is a cut of beef that can be overwhelming to cook.
It’s not uncommon for people to shy away from cooking oxtail because it needs long, slow cooking in order for the meat to break down and become tender.
But with the help of a crockpot or slow cooker, you don’t have to worry about babysitting your dish- this piece will show you how easy it is!
This makes them perfect for braised dishes like ragu sauce where their flavor is best showcased.
This hearty dish makes an excellent winter meal when paired with roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes for a satisfying dinner on a cold night.
Sirloin
Sirloin steak is typically a tougher cut of meat when cooked in other ways, but it works well with the slow cooker because you can cook it for hours without drying out or burning it!
After several hours of cooking, the beef becomes tender and flavorful while retaining its shape which is perfect for pasta dishes like spaghetti.
This recipe takes about 9-10 hours, but I promise that your family will love it!
What is more, it’s an economical, healthy option for those who are on a budget.
Steak Tips
Steak tips are a great addition to any slow cooker ragu recipe because they provide lots of protein and little fat.
They also make the dish more filling, which is perfect for those looking to lose weight or maintain their current weight.
In Short
When you’re in the mood for something hearty and savory, it’s easy to break out that trusty old crockpot.
Ragu is a great dish because it can be customized with your favorite kind of protein.
Knowing the characters of each cut will help you choose which cut of beef is best suited for your recipe!
I hope this post has been helpful, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section!