Ragu a la Bolognese (Beef Ragu)

I took the comments about the long slow cooking to heart and started this on the stove and then transferred it to the slow cooker so it could get a good seven hours (or more) of simmering. I had beef and pork in the freezer--about three pounds total so I upped the other ingredients accordingly. I used a nice dry red beaujolais and American as opposed to San Marzano tomatoes (I know they are fabulous tasting in Italy--I find it hard to believe that being processed, canned, shipped overseas under who knows what conditions, warehoused and then distributed to supermarkets and shelved, they taste as good as in Italy or as good as good quality local products--plus, they're very expensive). Otherwise, I followed instructions and the results were fabulous. It's a great sauce which I used on some pasta to everyone's delight. I have two containers in the freezer, destined for lasagna.