Best way to cook mince for a bolognese

[ohfos]

I'm making a bolognese later and want some tips for cooking the mince.

I want it to be really tasty and the mince soft and not chewy, not like it has turned out before in the past!

Anyone have any tips?

Fry it off beforehand. What makes it all soft and tasty is cooking the bolognaise for ages. The mince will be chewy if it's not cooked for long enough.

@SomeHalfHumanCreatureThing How long should I cook it for?

Low and slow. I simmer mine for 40mins once it’s all in the pan.

I give mine a couple of hours on a really low heat. Also fry it off first.

I was told that you should fry the mince separately to the onions and veg, until it's well browned and starting to look almost a bit crispy as that adds a lot of flavour. Fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic in a separate pan till they are soft then put the meat and veg in the same pan with tomatoes etc and cook on a low heat for an hour or two.

Chuck in a tin of green lentils too - bulks out the meal in a healthy, tasty way.

Tom kerridge roasts his in the oven before adding to the bolognaise allegedly.

Never tried it but not about to argue with his Michelin stars.

I made it yesterday.
Minced beef from the butchers, fried of until brown (not grey), then in the slow cooker for at least six hours with the rest of the ingredients, It was soooo tender.

Onions and garlic finely chopped, melted for 20 minutes, then fry the mince until not pink. Make sure it's all broken up. Tin of tomatoes per 300g of mince, squirt of puree or passata, bay leaf, oregano, basil, stock cube, fresh black pepper. Simmer for at least an hour.

You need to cook soffrito and mince in separate pans, combine add wine toms Worcestershire herbs garlic stock etc and simmer for at least 2 hours

Look for the method on Mary Berry lasagne on BBC good food. Brown mince, fry veg in a casserole dish, and mince, tinned tomatoes, purée etc then cook in oven like a stew for an hour or so.

But decent mince preferably from a butchers. Fry it off drain any excess fat (not usual much with decent mince).

This is the only recipe you need!

antoniocarlucciofoundation.org/recipe/tagliatelle-with-bolognese-sauce/?cli_action=1580635722.927

You need several hours. Fry it off and then let it simmer for as long as you possibly can - the more hours the better. Not exact but basically as long as you have. 40 mins is not long enough - think over 2 hours at least.

Also onions, carrot and celery,not just onion.

It's not a weeknight meal in this house, it's a Sunday special.

Ours goes in the slow cooker. Brown it first, then put it on top of all the other ingredients in the SC. I try and get it in for 10/11am and leave it on low then eat at around 7.30.

Brown the mince with an onion. Add tinned tomatoes, beef stock and seasoning. Then leave on a low heat for as long as possible. Bellissimo

I dont brown mine I make the sauce and then I add the mince and then let it boil for a min and then simmer for as long as possible!! It’s always super soft!! I also use steak mince...a thin ground mince!! I have been told my bolognese is FAB!! 🤣

Try to letting it cook for a good hour or more.

We use beef mince, pork mince, soffrito ( carrots, onion, celery), tomato puree for colour and stock.

Fry meat. Remove from pan, try veggies until soft. Add cooked meat. Stir in tomato puree. Add stick. Simmer until reduced
We like it dark and have it cling to tagliatelle, so mux sauce into cooked pasta ( not a pile of meat on top of spaghetti)

Thanks everyone! If I want to serve up at 5pm ish, when should I start cooking it?

Start at 3:30?

I'd let it simmer for an hour and a half minimum ...but I often leave it for hours on low.

I did one the other day and started it just before lunch. It was the best one I've ever made.

I’d start cooking it at 11:30. You can’t overcook a bolognese, the longer and slower you cook it the better it is.

@ohfos now! Let it bubble away really low until you want to serve

2.30pm. Earlier if you can. Start off with some wine and stock. Keep checking it doesn't dry out and just chuck more water in if needed.