Makes 6 quarts.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1 lb uncased Italian sausage
• 2 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 ribs celery, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 2 cans whole peeled tomato, 28 oz each
• 1 can crushed tomato, 28 oz
• 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¾ cup dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh, cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• ½ tsp white pepper

Instructions

Heat a 7.5 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef and sausage. Remove browned meat to a bowl and reserve 2 tbsp of fat in the pot.

Add olive oil or bacon fat to the pot, and allow to warm until shimmering. Add onions, carrots and celery, and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper and tomato paste. Combine and sauté until fragrant taking care not to char the tomato, about 4 more minutes.

Add meat back to the pot and combine with soffritto. Add wine, vermouth or sherry and combine, scraping up the remaining fond. Maintain heat until bubbling. When bubbling subsides combine milk and maintain heat until bubbling. Combine remaining cans of tomato and spices and maintain heat until bubbling.

Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for approximately 3 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add water by the ½ cup if the sauce gets appears too dry. Sauce is done when the fats separate.

Slow cooked method

As an alternative to simmering for 3 hours, preheat oven to 225°F. Follow instructions above up to the simmer, then place uncovered pot in the oven for up to 3 hours, or until fats separate.