Pork stew might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of stew recipes. Traditional beef stew usually steals the show, but this pork stew recipe, in the most delicious way possible, will make you rethink that assumption.
Tons of tender, juicy pork chunks, and bacon ensure meat in every bite, and all of your favorite veggies are here in abundance. This thick, hearty pork stew recipe, together with my classic beef stew, slow cooker beef stew, Brunswick stew, and cowboy stew will fill you up on the coldest of winter days.
Let’s make this stew!
What I Love About This Recipe
This pork stew recipe has so much going for it. Here are the best parts!
- Thick and hearty
- Lots of veggies and meat
- Lovely depth of flavor
- Makes enough for a crowd
Pork Stew Ingredients
- Pork: Pork shoulder trimmed of all visible fat, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour to coat the pork before browning.
- Salt + Pepper
- Oil: I use a neutral vegetable oil with a high smoking point.
- Bacon: I prefer to use uncured bacon.
- Onion: Use a yellow onion.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic, not the stuff that comes pre-minced in a jar.
- Vegetables: We use a combo of carrots and celery to flavor the broth.
- Wine: If you don’t cook with wine, you can use an extra cup of beef broth.
- Broth: I use a low-sodium beef broth.
- Tomato Paste: This adds a nice depth of flavor and a bit of acidity to the stew.
- Dried Herbs: We use a combo of dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf
- Prunes: The prunes add a mild sweetness that complements the pork beautifully.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are my choice in this recipe. I love their creaminess and as they cook, their edges break down and thickens the stew beautifully.
- Parsnips: This is such an unsung veggie. It’s sweet and earthy tasting. Try to look for parsnips that are less than 2 inches at their largest point. They start to get fibrous which means they’re tougher, as they get bigger. The flavor compliments the pork deliciously.
Pork Stew Recipe Notes
There are a lot of versions of pork stew meat with gravy around the world. Both the pork stew recipe Filipino style and pork stew Spanish version use potatoes and bell peppers. The pork stew Jamie Oliver makes uses fatty pork, sage, and cider.
Whatever version it is, they are all certified comfort food!
- The pot- you’ll want a large pot with a heavy bottom to prevent burning. Thin-bottomed pans are notorious for hot spots that can burn your stew.
- Deglazing the pan- deglazing pulls off all the little bits of meat and veggies (called the fond) that stucks to the bottom of the pan. The key to it is to use a rigid spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan when you add the wine. As soon as the liquid hits the pan, start scraping and stirring until the bottom is free of any stuck bits.
- Why is this important? Because those little brown bits are flavor gold! They add tremendous flavor to your dish, so don’t skip this step!
- Bacon drippings- Sautéing the veggies in bacon drippings adds lots of flavors. There should be a tablespoon of drippings from the bacon. If you find you have excess bacon grease, drain some before adding the veggies. If you don’t want to use it at all, I suggest olive or vegetable oil instead.
- The Veggies – You can adjust vegetable amounts and types to suit what you like or what you have in the fridge! Turnips, butternut squash, or chunks of tomato are all good ideas.
How To Make Pork Stew
- Coat the pork with flour, salt, and pepper.
- Brown the pork in batches. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon in the same pot. Set aside.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.
- Saute the vegetables until soft.
- Add wine to the pot and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
- Add beef broth, tomato paste, browned pork, bacon, and herbs. Cover and simmer. Stir in prunes, potatoes, and parsnips, and continue to simmer. Adjust season to taste.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Does This Last In The Fridge? Soups and stew hold well in the fridge for 3-4 days, according to the USDA guidelines.
- Can You Freeze This? You can freeze this pork stew recipe, but the veggies might lose a bit of texture after a trip through the deep freeze. To freeze, allow the stew to cool completely before putting it in a freezer container. It should keep for 2-3 months.
- Make Ahead Tips: This stew reheats beautifully and, like most soups and stews, tastes better the next day. You can also do a lot of the veggie and meat prep beforehand and then assemble and cook when you’re ready for it.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
Pork stew recipe is as good as it gets on a cold winter day. Serve it with a hunk of warm Southern cornbread or Bisquick cornbread if you like it sweet, homemade crescent rolls, cat head biscuits, Lion House rolls, butter swim biscuits, or Bisquick biscuits. It’s sure to be a family favorite!
We like this with a nice crisp salad like our KFC coleslaw, strawberry salad (with blue cheese and a lovely sherry vinaigrette), strawberry spinach salad, or 1905 salad, My husband, however, asks for his favorite Southern collard greens with this stew. You really can’t go wrong with any of these on the side.
Recipe Variations
- Cook this in an Instant Pot. For super busy days, you can always rely on the instant pot. Just brown the pork in batches and sauté the aromatics, which is similar to how instant pot beef stew and instant pot chicken noodle soup are cooked.
More Delicious Stews To Try:
Tried This Recipe?
Please leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pork Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of visible fat, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- salt
- black pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup parsnips, peeled and diced
Garnish (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, toss the pork (2 1/2 pounds) with the flour (1/2 cup), 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to coat evenly, shaking off excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, over medium-high heat, in a large pot and brown pork in batches without crowding it, about 7-9 minutes. Add more oil as needed. Transfer browned meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove and discard pan drippings.
- Cook the bacon (4 slices) in the same pot, stirring frequently until crispy. Transfer to bowl with pork.
- Reduce heat to medium and saute onion (1), garlic (1 tablespoon), carrots (2 cups), and celery (1 cup), in bacon drippings, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add wine (1/2 cup) to the pot, and continue to simmer, scraping up brown bits on the bottom of the pot until the liquid is almost evaporated.
- Add beef broth (4 cups), tomato paste (2 tablespoons), browned pork, bacon, thyme (1 teaspoon), rosemary (1/2 teaspoon), bay leaves (2), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
- Stir in prunes (1/2 cup), potatoes (2), and parsnips (1 cup) then cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If you'd like the stew thinner, add more beef broth or water to achieve desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into individual bowls, garnish with parsley (2-3 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- The pot- you’ll want a large pot with a heavy bottom to prevent burning. Thin-bottomed pans are notorious for hot spots that can burn your stew.
- Deglazing the pan- deglazing pulls off all the little bits of meat and veggies (called the fond) that stuck to the bottom of the pan. The key to it is to use a rigid spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan when you add the wine. As soon as the liquid hits the pan, start scraping and stirring until the bottom is free of any stuck bits.
- Why is this important? Because those little brown bits are flavor gold! They add tremendous flavor to your dish, so don’t skip this step!
- Bacon drippings- Sautéing the veggies in bacon drippings adds lots of flavors. There should be a tablespoon of drippings from the bacon. If you find you have excess bacon grease, drain some before adding the veggies. If you don’t want to use it at all, I suggest olive or vegetable oil instead.
- The Veggies – You can adjust vegetable amounts and types to suit what you like or what you have in the fridge! Turnips, butternut squash, or chunks of tomato are all good ideas.
Nutrition
Amaya says
Hi Again Kathleen,
Sorry for all my comments/questions! Though to any one reading the comments, I feel like this is proof this recipe is a winner. 🙂
If you read my last question, I was wondering if I could swap chicken broth for beef broth. I ended up doing so and it was good. Over a few days every drop was eaten. That being said, when I’ve made this is the past with beef broth, every drop was eaten by the end of the next day. So can you substitute? Absolutely! But you probably shouldn’t unless you have to.
My new question is about the wine. Can I substitute red wine for white? It’s raining cats and dogs here and I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the house so I ordered groceries. As part of these groceries I ordered a bottle of Chardonnay between $20 – $30 dollars. I include the price for anyone reading the comments. I used to cook with cheap ($5-$10) wine and it was quite yummy. When I started cooking with wine I’d also be okay drinking, recipes went from “quite yummy” to amazing. If you can afford to cook with decent to good wine, I’d recommend it. But this is not why I’m writing. I’m writing because instead of a bottle of Chardonnay, they delivered a bottle of Pinot Noir. Can I use it instead of white wine?
Kathleen says
Hi, Amaya! Thank you so much for your updates! 🙂 I’m so happy it was a hit. I read some articles, and yes, go for the pinot noir with the same measurement as the white wine.
I’m excited for your next update 🙂 Enjoy!
Amaya says
This is one of my favorite recipes and I am craving it even though it’s the middle of August. I just realized that I have all the ingredients except for beef broth. Can I substitute chicken broth? Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hi, Amaya! I haven’t tried that but I think chicken broth will perfectly go well. Enjoy! 🙂
LORI LORD says
Hi Kathleen, Fixxin to make your recipe, wanted to ‘crackpots it but no instructions 😢 But,the rave comments have swayed me to make the time and dutch oven it. Although it’s dog days of summer, I’m not going to deny my craving for a rich stew!
Thanks for the recipe
Kathleen says
Hi, Lori! I hope it turned out perfect. Yes, it’s so hot! Next time I’ll make a crock pot version. Thank you for choosing this recipe. Enjoy!
Chris says
Thank you for this recipe.
I added a can of black beans, couple handfuls of chopped kale and teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. So filling and delicious!
Kathleen says
Wow, that’s so healthy! Thank you so much for your feedback, Chris! 🙂
Hayley Perron says
Delicious! I omitted the prunes and parsnips and added a bell pepper and extra carrots instead. My husband said he likes it better than beef stew! It was full of flavor 🤤
Kathleen says
Wow, Hayley! That’s awesome. Glad y’all like this stew. Thank you for sharing your positive review 🙂
Mike M says
I never comment on recipes on any site. Until now…
I made this exactly as written (except I had about 4 lbs of pork butt, so I increased all of the ingredients proportionally.)
This recipe is fantastic. My family devoured the stew. The parsnips and prunes are important, even though it would be tempting to skip them or substitute. I have printed it off and will make it again!
Kathleen says
Hi, Mike! Wow, that’s amazing. Thank you for your positive review! I agree with you on parsnips 🙂
I hope you’ll try our other soup and stews!
Debbie says
Excellent stew recipe, I thought it would do for two nights but it disappeared. Used apricots as I didn’t have prunes and swede as parsnips are hard to come by here in France. I have lots of dieced pork in the freezer so I’ll make it again before the end of winter. It’ll be good to leave on the wood burner cooking all day.
Kathleen says
Hi, Debbie! Great substitutes! Glad you liked this stew. And I agree, it doesn’t last long 🙂
Thank you for sharing your positive feedback!
Barbara says
Delicious already and 30 mins left on cook time. I used a 4 oz jar of Beech-Nut puréed baby food prunes instead of diced prunes. Easy. Can’t wait for dinner.
Kathleen says
Hi, Barbara! Your tweak sounds fantastic! So happy you liked it. Enjoy your dinner 🙂
Amaya says
Made this tonight to celebrate the first cold and rainy day of fall. I was a little skeptical about parsnip and prunes but I figured I’d give it a go. I couldn’t find prunes so ended up using raisins, and wow, so glad I didn’t skip those ingredients. This will definitely be a go to at my house!
Kathleen says
That’s so amazing, Amaya! Perfect for the weather, right? Thank you for your positive review!
Dennis the Menace says
I think the recipe is great but I am a guy, and like many guys, I don’t pay close attention to directions.. I used about a cup of flower and a full little can of tomato paste.. As it started thickening way too soon I reread the directions.. Oh boy.. Salvage time! A beer or two later everything tasted great.. Kinda
Kathleen says
LOL! It happens to the best of us! I’m glad you enjoyed it anyway <3
Karolis says
Pretty new to cooking and made this. one of the best meals I made so far! only think I did different, I added some chili peppers and toasted spices before adding them.
Kathleen says
Yay! I’m happy you liked this stew, Karolis! I love your tweaks 🙂
RUTHANN RICHARDS says
Made this stew tonight…sooo good…perfect on a cold night. Gotta go…it’s done, time to eat.?
Kathleen says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Ruthann <3
glenda d says
Very rainy in SC for the next few days and this looked too good to pass up and wait for Fall. Kinda sorry that now that I found it ???? It is sooooooo good I am going to be full from “tasting” it before we have dinner ?? I did not have prunes so I omitted them and will be serving it over rice even though it has potatoes in it. Also added some paprika and cayenne powder.
Kathleen says
So glad you enjoyed, Glenda! <3
janet says
This looks so good! I have all the ingredients except for the prunes & parsnips. Could I substitute something else for these 2 things? Thank you!
Kathleen says
Hi Janet! I haven’t tried substituting these ingredients yet but I think you can give raisins a try in place of prunes, then turnips, sweet potatoes, or parsley root for parsnips. Hope this helps!
cyndy says
Amazing stew. I love pork so much more than beef and this is a great idea. The bacon makes it!
Kathleen says
Thank you, Cyndy! Enjoy! ?
Gina S. says
Made this stew tonight exactly as the recipe is written. Absolutely delicious and now it’s my favorite stew recipe! I served it with homemade garlic bread! Everyone loved it as much as I did! Thank you Kathleen for the recipe!
Kathleen says
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit for you, Gina!
Katie says
Made this for the family and it was a hit!
Kathleen says
That’s awesome, Katie! So stoked you and your family loved it!
Erika says
This stew is so mouthwatering and looks so flavorful. I love that it’s made in one pot too!
Kathleen says
Thanks, Erika! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! ?
Tammy says
This truly is the perfect winter meal! I love the balance of meat and veggies…so hearty and perfect. I wouldn’t mind getting cozy with a bowl of this a good movie 🙂
Kathleen says
Thank you, Tammy! ❤️❤️
Sapana says
Such a great stew for this time of the year — love how easy it is to make!
Kathleen says
Thank you so much, Sapana! ?
Liz M says
This recipe was time consuming, but very good. Next time I’d leave out the parsnips as they have a distinct flavor that I discovered I don’t like!
Kathleen says
Thank you for sharing your experience, Liz!