Andy Ward & Jenny Rosenstrach's Pork Shoulder Ragu

Ingredients

• 2 pounds to 2 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast (up to 2 1/2 pounds), tied with twine if there are any loose pieces
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 small pat butter
  
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice
  
• 1 cup red wine
  
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  
• 5 sprigs fresh oregano
  
• 1 Small handful of fennel seeds
  
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, for smokiness (Andy used Trader Joe's Hot Chili Sauce, but Sriracha and Tabasco both work great, too)
  
• 1 pound Pappardelle
  
• 1 handful Freshly grated Parmesan
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Liberally salt and pepper the pork roast. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts, but does not burn. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in all.
2. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Cover, and put in oven.
3. Braise for 3 to 4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Put on a cutting board (remove the sprigs of herbs at the same time) and pull it apart with two forks, then add back to pot and stir.
4. Cook 1 to 2 pounds pasta according to package directions. When it’s is ready, put into individual bowls and top with ragu and lots of Parm. Alternately, toss the pasta with the ragu and a bit of pasta cooking water, as needed, and top with Parm.