• 600g boneless beef shin (or equivalent of boneless short rib, ox cheek, or mince)
• Two decent sausages with no fancy flavourings
• Two meaty pork ribs
• Two onions, peeled and finely diced
• Three celery sticks, finely diced
• Two carrots, finely diced
• Two garlic cloves, finely diced
• Three tbsp tomato puree
• 250ml decent white wine
• Two litres homemade chicken stock or decent shop bought
• Two bay leaves
• About three sprigs worth of rosemary, finely chopped
• Salt
• Pepper (lots)

Preheat the oven to 150c. If not already diced, cut the beef into cubes, two inches to a side. Salt the beef and pork ribs all over. In a heavy bottomed casserole big enough to hold everything, sear the meat in olive oil (NOT extra-virgin. Use neutral oil instead if you only have good olive oil) over medium-high heat in two or three batches until brown all over. Take your time on this step, it matters more than almost any other part of the process.

Remove the beef and ribs to a plate or bowl before discarding all but a thin coating of fat and turn the heat down to medium-low. Remove the sausages from their casing and add to the pan with the vegetables and aromatics, reserving the garlic, and a little more salt. Cook gently until the pork is lightly coloured and the vegetables are starting to soften. If necessary, spoon away any excess fat. Mix in the tomato puree and garlic and cook for 40 seconds before deglazing the pan with the white wine.

As the wine simmers down, add the bay leaves and rosemary and season again with plenty of black pepper – it should make you want to sneeze a bit. Return the beef and ribs to the pan, mixing thoroughly, and then pour in the chicken stock. It should submerge everything. If it doesn’t, just add more water.

Cook in the oven for four hours, testing after three. Once the beef shreds with absolute ease, remove all from the oven. If using anything other than mince, take the meat out of the pan with a spider or slotted spoon and set to one side. If using mince, leave it in and proceed to reduce the remaining liquid over a medium heat, keeping stirring so it doesn’t burn, until thick and viscous. Mix the beef back in roughly if necessary, shredding it and breaking it down. Shred the pork from the ribs, removing any sinewy bits that haven’t broken down, and mix in. Taste and season before serving.