Good Eats Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (Is it Worth Making?)
Alton Brown will forever be a Food tv icon, especially for his revolutionary show, Good Eats, where he doesn’t just teach us how to cook but rather breaks down certain dishes and ingredients to a scientific level and delivers information in an entertaining way, making it one of the most unique cooking shows ever.
Now throughout Good Eats’ history that spanned across 13 years and with 250 episodes, a lot of iconic and delicious dishes came about such as stovetop macaroni and cheese, vanilla ice cream containing pectin, sliders with griddled onions, and much more, there is one dish that stood out to me, as a humble pasta lover, and that being his recipe for spaghetti and meat sauce.
First releasing on May 18, 2009, the Good Eats episode in question was episode 3 of the show’s 13th season, titled American Classics IV: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, as part of a series where Alton went over classic American dishes and gave his own personal spin on them. The episode featured Alton’s way of making something that many of us grew up eating from a jar, and does so with 26 ingredients across 5 1/2 hours of cooking time.
I will be attempting to make this recipe myself to see both how good it is and also to see if it’s worth making again.
Let’s do it!
Serves 6
Total time: 5 1/2 hours
(For the Meat Sauce)
6oz thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, finely chopped
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 whole cloves
1 star anise pod
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, 3 minced and 2 thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
8oz ground chuck
8oz ground pork
1 1/4 cups dry white wine, divided
3/4 cup canned evaporated milk
3 cups beef broth
1oz dried porcini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried marjoram (or dried thyme)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
(For the Pasta and Serving)
1 gallon of water
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, cook the bacon over low heat until browned and crisp, should take about 10 minutes.
Remove the bacon to some paper towels but reserve the fat. Add the onion to the reserved bacon fat plus a pinch of salt and pepper.
Place the whole cloves and star anise into a cloth spice bag or a small piece of cheese cloth, wrap it up, tie with kitchen twine if necessary, and bash with the side of a knife. Add this spice bag to the pot with the onions, then cook over low heat for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized.
Once the onions are caramelized, add the celery and the three minced garlic cloves. Continue cooking another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply brown.
Meanwhile, heat a wide stainless steel pan over medium high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the ground chuck and pork. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is well browned.
Transfer the meat to a strainer over a bowl to drain off the excess fat, then add the white 1/2 cup of the white wine to the skillet and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer, and cook over medium low until reduced by half. Set that aside.
Once the onion and celery are caramelized, remove the spice bag then add the meat, reduced wine, an additional 1/2 cup of white wine, the evaporated milk, beef broth, and porcini mushrooms. Bring everything to a simmer, then cook over low for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
About halfway through the cooking process, heat a wide skillet over medium heat, the same one used for the meat is fine, along with another tablespoon of oil and the 2 sliced garlic cloves. When the garlic begins to shimmer, add the canned diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, and marjoram. Bring that to a simmer, then cook for 30-45, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes thicken.
Now would be a good time to heat the gallon of water to a boil in a large pot.
Once thickened, Add the tomato paste, ketchup, sherry vinegar, Worcestershire, and remaining 1/4 cup of white wine. Bring that to a simmer, add the last tablespoon of olive oil, then let that simmer for 2-3 minutes longer.
Stir the tomato mixture into the meat mixture, then simmer on low, stirring occasionally, while the pasta cooks.
Add the salt to the water once boiling, then add the spaghetti and cook until it’s slightly under the point of being al dente (6-8 minutes) Drain, then add to the sauce along with the reserved bacon, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Finally, stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano and divide among bowls or dump into a large serving bowl to serve.
Ok, after making and tasting this recipe, I have to honestly say that, while it does taste good, it is a few too many ingredients and steps for my taste, I like ragu recipes where you basically dump everything into a pot then almost forget about it for a few hours.
But if you try making it, then let me know what you think.
