Some of Food Network star Alton Brown’s recipes have thousands of five-star reviews, and for good reason. The Good food chef has the precision of a scientist in providing ingredient quantities and instructions.
And it’s no different with this thick, meaty all-day sauce.
Many Food Network reviewers say Brown’s recipe is a commitment
The chef’s recipe for a meal that countless home cooks make on a regular basis contains 23 ingredients (not counting salt, pepper and water).
There is chopping and prepping involved, of course, cooking the pasta, and early in the recipe you stir the onions every few minutes for about an hour as they caramelize. However, the most time-consuming part of his version of pasta and meat sauce is that he simmers the sauce for over five hours.
Many home cooks who tried Brown’s recipe were put off by the cooking time involved.
“Just cooked this dish, hoping for great things after five hours of work and relatively exotic and expensive ingredients. I was disappointed. … Our standby Jimmy Dean sausage in bottled Prego sauce is a lot better,” wrote one reviewer who gave the recipe three stars.
Another home cook gave the recipe five stars, saying, “This is better than any sauce I’ve ever had. It’s definitely not for the lazy or 30-minute meal fans. But, like any good comfort food, it’s the time and worth it. …”
And one reviewer who rated the dish with four stars warned others: “Great recipe. … I have a lot of cooking experience, but I still wouldn’t call this recipe ‘easy’. There are many steps to juggle and several pans to join at the same time. As long as you understand what you’re getting into… you should be very successful.”
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What do you need to make Brown’s meat sauce recipe
It’s fair to say that Brown’s gravy (as some home cooks would call it) isn’t even close to anything you’d find in a pot.
The sauce is hearty and rich, with thick-sliced bacon, two large onions, cloves, star anise pod, celery, garlic, ground beef, ground pork tenderloin, white wine, evaporated milk, beef stock, porcini mushrooms, canned diced tomatoes, dried herbs, tomato paste, ketchup, sherry vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
Afterwards, the sauce and spaghetti are naturally sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.
Find the full recipe, video and reviews on the Food Network site†
Most reviewers praised Brown’s ‘exquisite’ and flavorful sauce
The Iron Chef America host received quite a few five-star reviews despite the somewhat intimidating list of items.
One reviewer said: “It’s a great recipe that needs a lot of thought. … No complicated techniques but lots of steps and ingredients. It pays off.”
Another added: “Follow this recipe, take your time, don’t deviate or replace it. It’s phenomenal! Thank you, Alton… a total keeper forever.”
“I followed the recipe EXACTLY (the video is on YouTube.com). … This is not supposed to taste like American meat sauce like you would get at Olive Garden. This is exquisite…something you would get in a really good real Italian restaurant,” wrote one satisfied reviewer.
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