https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHvQykNt2M
I don't agree with Matt's hierarchy personally... But opinions and scenarios differ.
Winch is mentioned in the later stages.
In my opinion it should always start with... Do you have a winch and is there a suitable point to winch off? If so, USE IT!
The most expensive and heaviest recovery tool you fit to your car. Use it!! I see it over and over again, where people pull out every trick in the book to get unstuck, generally wasting so much time, where a simple winch would've done it in quarter of the time. And a lot of times, in the end , the winch rope comes out anyway.
As above scenarios change. And every tool and method has it's place.
But if safety is the topic, I reckon winch is the most controlled, viable, option, you have.