[rkomorn]

FWIW, and tangential, the biggest (and time consuming) difference I ever found in making bolognese was hand cutting the meat instead of getting it ground.

The texture was way better. It's a pain to do (obviously) but worth trying at least once, IMO.

[marssaxman]

Thanks for the recommendation. Diced pancetta is readily available here, but I'd have to chop up the beef myself; which cut did you use?

[rkomorn]

Recipe calls for skirt steak or chuck. I used chuck. Skirt steak would probably taste nicer, though, but might also be harder to chop.

I ended up chopping it down to 2-3mm (~1/8in?) bits, and it helps to have the meat really cold (eg having hung out in the freezer for a bit).