Slow-Cooker Beef Ragu

Big hit with the family. I stick with cutting it in half and I have been cooking it in a 4-quart slow cooker, so it's pretty cozy in there, which does slow down the cooking a little. My twist is that I cook it on high for 4 and half hours a day or two before I intend to serve it. When the time is up, I take the insert out, allow it to cool to room temp and then pop it into the fridge. This method allows me to skim the congealed fat off the top after it has been refrigerated. Then I put the insert back into the cooker and set it for another 1-2 hours on low, which reheats the meat and restores that tenderness you're looking for, without any greasiness.

So what I wonder is, why not cut the meat into chunks so it cooks faster.....and doesn't meat love slow cooking, why cook it on high...just cut into chunks and let it slowly simmer.

This recipe was awesome loved it, so gender and flavourful. Cooked 2 eye of round in this liquid and the best part added veggies and barley the next day to the liquid for a hearty beef barley soup. Definitely a keeper.

This recipe needs a lot of fixing. It was a total disappointment and a waste of meat!!!.

This is such a delicious start to beef ragu. I expanded on it here with diced tomatoes, red wine, beef stock, and a few key garnishes: http://thejunkdrunk.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/deep-stir-braised-beef-ragu-with-fettuccine/

Great recipe! Following the reviews, I used 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup red wine instead of water, and added about 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. It was done in 8 hours and I served it over a bed of paparadelle pasta. I added a dollop of sour cream to the finished plate. Delicious!

Cooked for 9 hrs on low and it turned out great! Used 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup water. Agreed it could be seasoned more, but my husband and I were happy regardless.

Made this this weekend. After reading the reviews about it being bland, I used red wine and vegetable broth instead of water, which adds no extra flavor. It was absolutely delicious. I cooked it on low for 8 hours and it shredded beautifully. Will totally make this again.

Was so bland and not tender (after cooking on high for 4 1/2 hours) - I added about half a cup of red wine, about a teaspoon more salt and about half a teaspoon crushed red pepper. Still had to cook it another few hours to make it tender. I think this is one of those recipes that absolutely needs to be SLOW cooked for at least the 9 hours suggested.

Was so bland and not tender (after cooking on high for 4 1/2 hours) - I added about half a cup of red wine, about a teaspoon more salt and about half a teaspoon crushed red pepper. Still had to cook it another few hours to make it tender. I think this is one of those recipes that absolutely needs to be SLOW cooked for at least the 9 hours suggested.

This was terribly bland, I don't know if I didn't use enough meat, but it just tasted like nothing.