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smoked-beef-rib-ragu-with-pappardelle

Ragù is one of those dishes that rewards patience — and nothing rewards patience quite like a rack of Jacob's Ladder beef ribs that has spent the better part of a day on a smoker. Jacob's Ladder refers to the full plate of bone-in beef short ribs cut across the bones, a magnificent cut that renders down into something almost impossibly tender when cooked low and slow. Once the ribs are smoked and rested, the meat is pulled from the bones and folded into a deeply flavoured soffritto base, finished with smoked tomatoes, Chianti, and a bouquet garni of fresh thyme and bay. Tossed with broad ribbons of pappardelle and a generous snowfall of Pecorino Romano, this is celebration food. That said, the smoker is not strictly required. The recipe below gives you both routes: the smoked method (which will reward you with layers of wood smoke and bark-flecked sauce), and a traditional oven braise that is every bit as rich and satisfying. The ragù itself is identical from the point the ribs hit the pot — so whichever way you go, the result is the same glossy, clinging, deeply savoury sauce. Both versions are worth making. The smoked version is worth filming.

Ingredients