Why is my spag bol never good?

[ThatLoudCat]

I'm generally a good cook. I cook from scratch everyday. A really good spag bol eludes me though. Everytime I try it's just fine. Maybe slightly watery, or too sweet, or just lacking in flavour.

I've tried many different recipes and they're never what I want them to be. As a kid, spag bol was an easy dinner that everyone's mum made every week so why can't I make it??

Slow cooker bolognese will always be watery/too thin because the water isn't evaporating. Always better on a hob. If you have to use the slow cooker, put a clean tea towel between the pot and lid to absorb the excess water.

My secret ingredients for any mince dish is a generous dollop of refried beans. Makes the sauce smooth, silky, earthy, nicely underscores the other flavours.

Having had ragu bolognese in Bologna this year and found it distinctly meh, I do think cooking time and meat quality matter, but ultimately most of us have a family version in our minds we’re trying to achieve and if yours contains garlic and mushrooms, do that. Making it the day before does massively improve it imo.

"I’ve spent many years in many parts of Italy and the food snobbery is about the same as anywhere else"

Interesting. I've never lived in Italy, but met many Italian emigrants and they are incredibly snobby about food and cooking and massive foodies.

I add gravy granules, thickens and flavours. Discovered by accident when I didn't have stock cubes, do it every time now.

Put marmite in

I do apologise if this has mean mentioned. I add a Knorr Chicken stock pot. Makes it really delicous!

Italian here. Wouldn’t judge you for garlic, herbs or Worcester sauce but TURMERIC???? Mamma Mia.
A good ragu needs soffrito (onion, celery and carrots) softened slowly. Well browned meat, using Mutti tomatoes makes a big difference. Red wine, I add nutmeg too but my mother doesn’t. I cook in the oven for 2 -4 hours, no need to cook all .

I use a schwartz seasoning packet

Good quality ingredients.
Long cook time.
I use venison mince as I find beef often quite flavourless. If using beef I use the 20% fat one.

oh yes you can add a splash of milk near the end of the cooking if the tomato flavour is a bit acidic

My guess is you're using 5% fat beef mince and not enough salt.

Marmite for a touch of umami. Cook it for at least two hours. Add red wine. Not too much veg etc. Simple good ingredients cooked for a long slow time.

We use Giorgio Locatelli’s ragu recipe and it never fails. It needs time and patience.

Soffrito of onions, carrot and celery chopped very fine, sweated slowly in olive oil with garlic (not crushed) and fresh sage and rosemary. Then add the ground beef, season and slowly brown, taking care not to boil. Wait until the mixture is as dry as you can get it. Then add a load of red wine and again cook out the liquid slowly until it’s all gone. Then mix through a good squodge of tomato puree, add passata and water, bring to boil and simmer for two or three hours until reduced,

I use this recipe
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-spaghetti-bolognese-recipe

Maybe it's the same as your Mum.
I have never managed to make anything good in a slow cooker!

I use Delia’s recipe. Make a huge batch and freeze it. It takes 4h in the oven, but worth it.

Apparently you need to cook the mince till it’s grey and all the fat comes out, then the fat sort of gets sucked back in during the cooking process. I was very sceptical til I had a spag Bol cooked by a friend using this method and it was amazing.

Are you just winging it ?? No wonder it's not great . Follow this , exactly .

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-spaghetti-bolognese-recipe

Buy the ready made sofritto in Tesco or Marks , use Mutti tomatoes and never leave out the red wine . It's as nice as we had in Italy last summer.

Vinegar in the tomato sauce. Game changer.

Sorry I see someone else posted this one !!

Don't use lean mince. I use 10-15% fat. Fry a few rashers of streaky bacon Cover the mince with milk once you've browned it off . I always add a couple of chopped carrots and 2 chopped sticks of celery. Fry the white onions and garlic (or I use paste). I always add a herb BOMB! - Basil, Oregano, Marjoram and Bay leave as well as a tablespoon of Worcester sauce and 4-5 drops of Tabasco sauce. I'll add red wine if I've got some spare. I add the tomatoes puree late on as well as a few sliced chestnut mushrooms if I have any. I'll have it simmering for a couple of hours. Add a squirt of red sauce or a teaspoon of sugar.

Fry diced onion, celery & grated carrot in olive oil. Add bacon pancetta & fry.
Add 500g beef mince + 500g pork. Do not buy low fat mince, it has no flavour and is tough.
Pour in a cup of wine.
Add a mug of beef stock
Add 3 tins chopped tomatoes plus 2 tbsps tomato puree
Add half a cup of whole milk

Simmer for at least 2 hours, 3 is better.

I use a big cast iron casserole dish & freeze spare portions.

Onion, garlic, mince, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, beef stock, red wine, seasoning. Cooked on the hob (low heat) for 2-3 hours.

I reckon it is about the beef the stock and tomotoes. The better the quality of both the better it will taste.

I cook everything on the hob in a cast iron casserole dish and then in the oven on 160 fan for two hours stirring a couple of times