A question about a recipe: Sunday Pork Ragu

Thank you! I went out this morning and asked at the meat shop. They break everything down themselves and had nice fresh neck bones. I'm going to reserve the smoked and make some ham and bean. I cannot thank you both. The sauce is on the stove now and marrying flavors. I'm so excited.

I have never tried to make this recipe with smoked bones; however, my sense is that nutcakes is right. The smoked bones will likely impart a different flavor to the sauce that may overpower the other ingredients. Spare ribs are delicious in this ragu. I have also had great success with country-style ribs. Pretty much any sort of fresh pork bone will work. You can, of course, remove the meat from the bones before serving the ragu, but I enjoy serving the bones whole and letting diners gnaw on them. They are delicious -- definitely my favorite part of this dish. Thanks for your question -- hope that you try the recipe!

Pork neck bones are perfect for Sunday Gravy but you should only use fresh ones. The smoked will make the entire thing taste like bacon. Reserve those for another use, like bean or split pea soup. If you can't find fresh pork neck bones, use sparribs. They will give an incomparable porky flavor to the sauce and you can also serve them and gnaw on them.