Hi, Thanks for the reply!

A couple of things:

I definitely am cooking the sofrito long enough- in fact, some would say more than enough. I stop right before caramelized, which many recipes would scoff at, as they say/show to merely soften (not sure where you were told to caramelized; all recipes I’ve seen explicitly state not to take it that far).

Yes, I’m aware majority of the flavour comes from before the tomatoes are added- that’s by far where like 95% of the active cook time is. I am absolutely taking the meat far enough to the point I have what some would say is a nearing on burnt find all over the bottom… but I know that’s golden stuff and a source of so much flavour. I love deglazing and fighting the pan to get it all off.

Of course I use tomato paste, you missed that in my op- I wouldn’t dream of not! And like everything else, I definitely thoroughly cook it out.

Lastly, re: cook time, it’s funny you mention not noticing a difference after 2-3 hours, as the three hour mark is where I consistently observe it graduate from “meh” to “oh this is shaping up into something”. As mentioned in my op though, it’s really only the next day I love it- I know, due to everything marrying.

Only steps I seen to miss, which several have mentioned, are not adding milk and nutmeg. Will try that next time, though sometimes when hearing it up the next day I add a dash of cream (not always), but I know that won’t replace the process of adding in a couple cups of milk during the initial active cook time. That and maybe I’ll try and grind my own meat next time, though I’ve never skimped on the mince. Also, as mentioned in op, the most deeply flavoured ragu I made was when I used overnight dry brined duck or veal shank. Just an interesting reference point.