Technique
What is Ragù?
Pronounced /rah-GOO/
Definition
Ragù is a slow-simmered meat sauce built on soffritto, wine, and a small amount of tomato — not a tomato sauce with meat in it.
Ragù alla bolognese uses beef and pork, milk, white wine, and just a spoonful of tomato paste, simmered two to four hours. Neapolitan ragù keeps large cuts of meat whole in a heavier tomato base for even longer.
The tomato is a seasoning in a ragù. When tomato dominates, what you have is a sugo with meat in it.
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Quick answer
Why does my Italian sausage come out dry?
Dry sausage is overcooked sausage nine times out of ten — pull it at 160°F (71°C), not 175°F. The other causes are too-lean meat (you need 25 to 30 percent fat), piercing the casings, and cooking over high heat that renders the fat out before the middle is done.