Smoked Brisket Ravioli
What happens when homemade pasta meets smoked meat? This Smoked Brisket Ravioli is a fun combination of flavors, and it makes for one heck of a delicious dinner!
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
The inspiration for this beef ravioli recipe came from two sources. The first was Matt Mytro, accomplished chef and partner at Flour in Cleveland, Ohio. Matt is an amazing chef, and I had the chance to spend some time with him in his restaurant last year when I visited the Certified Angus Beef Culinary Center. His recipe of the day? You guessed it – Smoked Brisket Ravioli. He asked for a volunteer to come behind the counter and make ravioli with him. I jumped at the chance! The second inspiration source for this recipe? Chef Boyardee.
Somewhere Matt Mytro is cringing that his name got mentioned along with Chef Boyardee. But here’s the deal. Matt’s Smoked Brisket Ravioli was amazing. Like I could’ve eaten that ravioli for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And then you probably could’ve found me going for a late night snack of ravioli, too.
While I did get the chance to help make these ravioli in Matt’s restaurant, I unfortunately didn’t have the recipe. I had the technique, but I didn’t have the recipe. (Matt had already made the dough and filling before we arrived.)
Back in upstate New York, I knew I wanted to recreate this amazing dish. But where to start? Well, Chef Boyardee is known for their beef ravioli. Ok, that’s a start – at least in terms of proportions and basic ingredients. Trust me, these Smoked Brisket Ravioli taste nothing like Chef Boyardee. I didn’t grow up eating that stuff, and I don’t think I’ve ever bought a can of it. Wait. That’s a lie. I bought a can one time when I was trying to get Robbie to try different foods. He wouldn’t eat it. I tried one bite, and that was plenty for me.
But in all seriousness, there are plenty of copycat Chef Boyardee beef ravioli recipes out there. They served their purpose in that they gave me a rough starting point for making this Smoked Brisket Ravioli. (Again, in case you missed it, I stress the fact that this ravioli tastes nothing like Chef Boyardee.)
While I don’t have Matt Mytro’s recipe for smoked brisket ravioli filling, I can say that this version is very reminiscent of his. It’s delicious! Talk about fusion cuisine at its best. This is Italy meets the American south. This recipe really hits two of my favorite food groups: pasta and smoked meat.
Smoked Brisket Ravioli
While this Smoked Brisket Ravioli does take some time to make, the good news is that much of it can be done in advance. The smoked brisket filling can be made a day in advance. Same with the sauce – although there isn’t a need for that since the sauce is super simple. The ravioli dough can be made a couple of hours in advance, but I do recommend making the dough fresh on the same day that you make the ravioli.
Special Tools
You will need a pasta roller for this recipe. If you are able to roll out pasta to 1/8″ or 1/16″, then you can skip the pasta roller. (On a side note, if you can roll pasta that thin by hand, then I want to meet you!) Our pasta roller was passed down from Laura’s parents, and it’s a workhorse. The instructions printed on the side of the box are all in Italian. Yeah, it’s that good.
Believe it or not, that same pasta machine is available on Amazon – and it’s an Amazon #1 best seller (aff. link). I know you won’t be pulling that pasta machine out daily…or even weekly. But one bite of homemade pasta will convince you that a pasta machine really is a good appliance to have on hand. And fill that pasta with a smoked brisket filling? You’ve got one heck of a special (and delicious) meal there!
Ravioli cutter (aff. link). This one isn’t as essential since a good, sharp knife will do the trick. However, if you want those fun fluted edges on your ravioli, then you’ll need a cutter. (Bonus: the ravioli cutter can also be used to cut pie dough, too!)
Smoked Brisket. Ok, so this one isn’t a tool at all. But smoked brisket is a pretty essential part of smoked brisket ravioli. I like to make my own, but I’ve seen some good smoked brisket in the grocery store, too. If you purchase it at the store (or at a local BBQ restaurant), just make sure it isn’t already sauced.) If you don’t want to go the brisket route, I suspect cooked, minced ground beef could work here, too.
Notes
I recognize that homemade ravioli ranks among the more difficult recipes to make at home. I’ve included a photo here showing the different stages of ravioli-making. Like most things, there’s a slight learning curve here. However, if I can do it, then you can do it!
The key is to gently press the dough around the filling to make sure all of the air bubbles are removed before you press each ravioli closed. (Air bubbles will lead to ravioli that break apart in the pot.) After making the first few of these ravioli, you’ll get the hang of it. Then all of your friends will be lining up outside your door for a taste of your homemade ravioli!
Did you make this Smoked Brisket Ravioli at home? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version of this classic comfort food!
Smoked Brisket Ravioli
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 10 oz. smoked beef brisket finely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnishing
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- fresh basil chopped, for garnishing
For the Dough
- 2-2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1½ Tbsp fresh basil chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the Filling
- Using a large skillet, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add onions, carrots and celery; stir until well combined. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.
- Add chopped beef, salt, pepper and wine; stir until well combined. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until wine has mostly evaporated.
- Transfer mixture into food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Add eggs, Parmesan and breadcrumbs; pulse until well combined.
- Transfer mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Note: Mixture can be refrigerated overnight.)
For the Dough
- Using a food processor, add 2 cups of flour, eggs and olive oil; pulse until dough comes together in a ball. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes together in a ball.
- Working on a lightly-floured work surface, knead dough for 2-3 minutes.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Making the Ravioli
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. (Note: Keep pieces that aren’t being used covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.)
- Using a pasta machine or rolling pin, roll dough into 1/16” thick sheets. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough. (Note: Cover rolled sheets of dough with plastic wrap or dishcloth to prevent them from drying out.)
- Working on a lightly-floured work surface, trim each piece of dough into 4” wide strips. (Note: Lightly dust top of each piece and stack dough to side.)
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold dough lengthwise to mark center. Unfold dough.
- Beginning 1” from short edge, place a teaspoon of beef mixture in the middle of the right side of the dough. (See photo in post.) Continue placing teaspoons of filling 1” apart down the length of the dough.
- Using a pastry brush or your finger, lightly brush around filling with water.
- Fold the left side of dough over on top. Gently squeeze the dough around each ball of filling to press out air. Using your fingertips, firmly press edges of dough together to seal.
- Using a ravioli cutter or sharp knife, cut between each ball of filling to create ravioli. Place ravioli on a floured baking sheet, making sure individual ravioli do not touch each other. Continue process until all dough has been used. (Note: Keep prepared ravioli covered with plastic wrap or dish towel to prevent them from drying out.)
- Refrigerate ravioli for 30 minutes up to 4 hours. (Note: To freeze for later use, place entire baking sheet in freezer. Once frozen, ravioli can be transferred into a freezer bag.)
For the Marinara Sauce
- Using a medium saucepan, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper; stir until well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cover and reduce heat to low until ready to serve.
Cooking the Ravioli
- Fill a large pot with salted water. Place over medium heat and bring water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add ravioli and stir gently so they do not stick together. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until ravioli float to the top of the pot.
- Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon and let drain before placing on plates.
- Top ravioli with warm sauce.
- Before serving, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Looking for more smoked brisket recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
These look awfully good, David! They remind me of ravioli al brasato, an actual Italian dish of ravioli stuffed with pot roast. Smoked brisket sounds different but equally delicious. And no, nothing like Chef Boyardee… !
Interesting! I haven’t heard of ravioli al brasato until now. That would’ve been a great recipe to use as a base for making this smoked brisket version. They are a process to make, but man this is comfort food at its best! 🙂
Yeah, so I know without even tasting it that’s it’s a million times better than any canned stuff. These look SO good, David! Just the kind of comfort food I crave. They turned out perfect and I bet taste even better. Imaging this would be awesome for a date night at home with lots of crusty bread and a glass of vino…and now I’m hungry 😉 Happy Monday!
Smoked brisket anything is always highly rated in my book. However, combine smoked brisket with pasta, and you’ve got pretty much my definition of perfect comfort food! These are a process to make, but I think it’s worth it. And, yes, a good glass of vino is required for this recipe! Thanks so much, my friend!
Now I’m craving homemade pasta like nothing else. This looks delicious! And I already know there’s zero resemblance to canned pasta, haha! Have a great week, David!
Homemade pasta just can’t be beat! It does take some time (unless you make ricotta gnocchi) but the time is well worth it. Thanks, Kelsie!
There’s still an hour before lunch and now I’m SO hungry, lol! These ravioli look divine, David. And that sauce. My mouth is literally watering.
Thank you so much, Marissa! These ravioli really did turn out well. They’re a bit of a process to make, but it’s well worth the time spent! 🙂
Wow, David! I love this idea! Smoked meat in ravioli! totally worthy of all the steps it involves! This one is a keeper! Maybe needs a Sunday afternoon, but I can’t wait to give it a try!
This is definitely a keeper of a recipe, Laura! I agree that it makes more sense to do this on a rainy weekend day, though. It’s a process to make, but the time is well worth it! And they freeze well, too, so you can justify the extra time that way. 🙂
Oh yeah this dish looks and sounds phenomenal! While I love all kind of pasta, raviolis are the most elevated and elegant form out of all the options to me (Of course we’re talking about homemade.) And this filling is certainly spot on! I need this to happen in my life, but I’m so not into complicated recipes right now that I probably simplify the idea: store-bought brisket, store-bough gnocchi (or just regular pasta), (possible) homemade tomato sauce, but I’m definitely going to toss everything in a pan myself and maybe add a little touch of smoked cheese on top – if you give me your permission for such interpretation, of course 🙂 Great job!
I’m with ya, Ben. I love all pasta, but ravioli definitely takes things to the next level. They are a process to make, though. Truthfully, this is more like a winter recipe since they require some time, but then again I had the smoked brisket so I decided to go for it now. I like your idea of ‘deconstructing’ this recipe using gnocchi. I might have to go for that myself as we don’t have any of these raviolis left. I appreciate the comment!
David, I’m sure Matt forgave you. I did grow up eating Chef Boyardee as it was better than my mom’s cooking. But, I haven’t had any for many years and don’t have it in my must-eat bucket list either. However, it does have an interesting history, I especially like how the Chef Boyardee name came about.
Pasta making is a joy and we make it often. But, I must confess I have an electric pasta roller. We don’t see brisket here at our markets, but I do make a mean smoked pork pluma, so I’ll be using that. Thanks for recreating the dish. Don’t you love recreating dishes without recipes?
Hah! I know Chef Boyardee might be a childhood favorite, Ron, but as you noted it should probably stay as a childhood favorite. (I need to go google how the name came about, though!)
Recreating dishes without recipes is one of the greatest joys in the kitchen. I know you recently did the same, and it turned out well. I was kinda skeptical (maybe even a little fearful) about these ravioli, but man are they delicious! I think a good smoked pork would be a fine substitute since you can’t get brisket over there. Cheers, my friend!
omg. you had me there for a bit. i remember people who ate that stuff. i wonder if they really liked it? well, looks like you figured it out. so much fun to cook with a chef! and your ravioli are beautiful. I’ve done this with short ribs, but why not brisket?!! But, i might have gone a different direction with the smoked brisket aspect. i didn’t expect you to do a more traditional sauce and filling. Not that I don’t think it’s not really good, but when i think of smoked brisket i think of bbq and Southwestern foods. i must have spent too many years in Texas!
Yeah, I mean I understand convenience when it comes to cooking/eating, but I dunno – canned ravioli pushes the envelope a bit much for me! Now you’re onto something with the different sauce. I kept the traditional red sauce as that’s what we did when I cooked with Matt…but perhaps a Southwestern cream sauce would work? Mmmm…a green chile cream sauce maybe? Now I need to make these again so I can try that idea out!
Whoa, a blast from the past — I actually did grow up eating Chef Boyardee, but it was only on occasion. This looks a million times better! Love how you made all the components from scratch too!
Thanks so much, Michelle! That’s the thing – making the components from scratch here definitely meant this was a process. But I had fun with it! Plus, it was delicious. And the ravioli freeze well, so we got several meals out of it. 🙂
Now that is my type of ravioli. Where is the invite?
Haha! Come on over, Raymund. We’re all out of this ravioli, but I’ve been looking for an excuse to make it again! 🙂
This ravioli looks amazing. It looks well worth the work that goes into making this ravioli. Yum!!
Oh, these ravioli were so good, Dawn! It does take some time to make homemade ravioli, but as you noted the time is well spent. Thanks so much! 🙂
Ah….the chef of all chefs! I’m so glad you took these to the next level and beyond! They are nothing like the canned stuff (I never liked it, even as a kid) I could totally sink my teeth into these and enjoy every bite!
Hahaha! Good old Chef Boyardee, right? 🙂 Going with the smoked brisket filling here took a bit of figuring out, but man did these ravioli turn out well. I want to make a huge batch now and store ’em in the freezer for winter nights when I don’t feel like cooking!
I grew up in Texas so you know I love smoked brisket. Your ravioli look very professional, nothing like Chef Boyardee. 😁
Yes! I remember you grew up in Texas, Karen. I was born in Texas myself, so smoked brisket is just in my veins. 🙂 And stuffing that brisket into ravioli? So good!
How many ravioli does this recipe make? I see it says 6 servings, but I don’t know the serving size.
Hey Jake – that’s a good question! If I recall, this recipe makes ~20-24 ravioli. I know we judged it based on how many “reasonable” servings we got out of the batch. (Yes, I recognize that reasonable is open to interpretation…but I hope this helps!)
Hey David, I was curious if you have served this “in brodo” versus red sauce. I am on my fourth attempt at ravioli and Brisket is my next choice. My instinct says chicken broth and Brisket-no way (also a Texan), but beef broth might overpower the filling. Any thoughts?
Hey John! That’s a great question. I haven’t tried serving this in anything other than a traditional red sauce. While it does indeed seem like a faux pas, I tend to agree with you about the chicken vs beef broth here. I’d go low-sodium broth and then add the salt to your preferences…otherwise the salt might overpower the ravioli flavor. Let me know how it turns out??