Intercostals, also known as rib fingers, are the meat in between the ribs. They’re gelatinous, high in flavour and ideal for braising. Any undesirable sinew can be easily removed at the end of cooking. This ragu is a little bit French-like pinching the idea of beef bourguignon with shallots and red wine (sorry no bacon) combined with the idea of an Italian slow cooked beef braise. The meat can be shredded or cut into cubes, making it a flexible dish to serve with pasta or polenta, or cut into large cubes to serve as a casserole with a mash or rice pilaf.  

serves 4

500g grass fed beef intercostals

60ml extra virgin olive oil

2 banana shallots, finely diced

2 small carrots, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

6 parsley sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, stalks reserved

3 sprigs thyme

300ml red wine

500ml beef stock

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt

black pepper

finely grated zest of a lemon

Before you start, decide if you’d like to serve the ragu as chunks of meat, or shred the meat after cooking. If serving as chunks, cut each intercostal strip into large cubes about 3-4cm. If shredding, leave the intercostals as whole strips. 

Heat half the oil in a large heavy based saucepan (like an enameled cast iron pot) over a medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total cooking time. Transfer the meat to a plate and return the saucepan to the heat reduced to low-medium. Add the remaining oil.  Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then add the carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are softened and lightly golden – don’t short cut time to skip though this step. Return the meat to the saucepan. Increase heat to medium-high and pour in the wine. If you have some kitchen string, tie the parsley stalks, thyme and bay leaves into a bundle. Add the herbs to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the stock and tomato paste and bring back to a simmer. Add salt and ground pepper, to season. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, breaking easily with a fork. 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl. Increase the heat to a high simmer and reduce the cooking liquid by a third. Remove and discard the herbs. If you’d like a smoother sauce, blend the cooking liquid using a stab blender until smooth, otherwise leave the sauce as is. Meanwhile, if using intercostal strips, shred the meat into fine pieces, discarding any sinew (it easily peels away). Return the cubed or shredded meat to the sauce to warm through. Check the seasoning adding more salt

Spoon the ragu over freshly cooked pasta, polenta, mashed potato or rice. Combine the lemon zest and chopped parsley leaves and sprinkle over the top. If using pasta or polenta, a fine grating of parmesan works a treat too.

Hint: Looking an autumnal dish to showcase local wild mushrooms? Add sautéed finely sliced wild mushrooms such as pine mushrooms or slippery jacks to the saucepan when reducing the sauce.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, May 2021