Food

Cook it today. And then keep chilled until Xmas day or even freeze until Christmas Eve. See later edit as I wouldn’t want your family to risk getting unwell.

Internet has so much variation in how long a meat ragu will last in a fridge.

If you have a vacuum chamber then I’d risk vacuum packing and keeping in the fridge.

If not then let it cool and freeze so it can be defrosted Xmas Eve.

I tend to think ragu works best if cooked the day prior to eating. We made a huge batch in the pressure cooker two weeks ago. Softend the soffrito, then seared off a few kg of beef shin (with a light seasoned flour dredge) deglazed with red wine and boiled off the alcohol, added a couple of bay leaves and 5 or 6 strips of lemon zest, tinned tomatoes a mug of water and returned the soffrito and beef to the pot. 50 mins in pressure cooker. Drained off the liquid and reduced by 2/3 and while that was happening shredded the meat and removed any gristly bits of connective tissue.

We have vacuum bags of it in the freezer now.

At my local butcher every thing you buy comes with today's date as the use by. Arse covering I guess, and avoids them having to think about it - reckon you can keep it until it looks or smells less fresh

I cooked mine yesterday - ate two ribs, then cut the rest up for chilli, and froze it.