Smoked Dino Rib Ragu

This is comfort food with a backbone. Tender Llano & Rye "Dino" rib meat, slow-cooked on the bones until it practically falls apart, then shredded and folded into a rich tomato, garlic, parsley, and beef-broth sauce. Tossed with penne to catch every drop, it’s the kind of dish that feels familiar and generous—simple ingredients, deep flavor, and the unmistakable Taste of Time Well Spent.

Serves 4

30 minutes prep

Ingredients

1-2 Llano & Rye "Dinos" with the meat removed and shredded into bite-size pieces

1 lb penne pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

5 large garlic cloves, diced

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsley chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. beef broth

2 c. pasta sauce - can be homemade or your favorite premade sauce

Directions

1. Boil pasta according to package instructions.

2. Place the shredded short rib meat into a medium frying pan over medium-low heat and cover. Stir occasionally. Once meat is juicy and heated through, turn off the heat so that the meat does not over-cook.

3. While the meat is warming, heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat.

4. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.

5. Add halved tomatoes to the pan and stir.

6. Cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, then gently mash the tomatoes with a potato masher or the side of a spoon. The tomatoes should retain some of their structure.

7. Stir in the tomato sauce, then add beef broth as necessary until just combined and the sauce is of medium thickness. Add parsley, season to taste, lower heat to simmer, and cover until ready to serve.

To serve, apportion the pasta in serving bowls, creating a slight "crater" in the middle of the pasta. Add sauce to each bowl of pasta, and top with the beef.

Serve with freshly shredded parmesean cheese and cracked pepper.