Sunday Sauce

info

• TIME 6-8 hours
• MAKES 10-15 servings

ingredients

• 3 lbs italian sausage
• 2 lbs meatballs
• 3 lbs pork ribs
• 2 lbs soup/ marrow bones (pork neck, ox tail, etc)
• 2 yellow onions
• 8 garlic cloves
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 140 oz San Marzano canned whole tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• salt + pepper + sugar
• deglazing wine

steps

1. Prepare the meatballs however you prefer
2. Cut the ribs into individual pieces
3. Cut the sausage into largish chunks **(or leave whole if preferred)**
4. Start the heat on a pot large enough to hold all of the sauce
5. Brown the meatballs, sausage, and ribs, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the bottom of the pot **(the goal here is to get some flavor and color on the meat... not cook it)**
6. Once the rest of the meat has been browned and set aside, brown the marrow bones, leaving them in the pot when done
7. Add diced onions and minced garlic, cooking in the residual meat fat
8. Add tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes
9. Deglaze the pot with wine, making sure to scrub the [fond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deglazing_(cooking)) off of the bottom of the pan
10. Add the hand crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and a pinch of sugar
11. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally
12. Lower heat and simmer uncovered until the sauce begins to thicken
13. After about an hour, add the ribs
14. After another hour, add the sausage
15. After another hour, add the meatballs
16. Continue to simmer for at least another hour, seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary

notes

• The marrow bones are important to enrich the flavor of the sauce as the collagen and marrow cook down. I particularly like using Ox tail, because its a different flavor from the beef and pork already present.
• Make sure to remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs prior to cutting them apart.
• Using San Marzano tomatoes specifically is important, because they have a distinct flavor. I prefer using whole canned tomatoes, and crushing them by hand or the sauce, because the whole tomatoes tend to be better quality (they use the misshapen or already partially damaged ones for the other canned varieties).
• It's tempting to try and speed up the meat browning process by using larger batches, but doing that will result in the pot cooling down too rapidly as the cold meat is added, and lead to subpar flavor or overcooked meat. This is not a recipe to be rushed, so take the time to do it right.
• Once the meatballs are added to the sauce, make sure not to stir too vigorously to avoid breaking apart the meatballs.
• Depending on how much fat accumulates on top of the sauce, it may be necessary to remove some prior to serving.
• Salute, cin cin

Based On

• [Grandmas Sunday Sauce Recipe](/assets/grandmas-sunday-sauce.jpg)
• [Serious Eats Red Sauce](https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/the-food-lab-use-the-oven-to-make-the-best-darned-italian-american-red-sauce-ever-recipe.html)
• [Pasquale's Sunday Sauce](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta2l0S6CfBk)