The Best Pork Stew Recipe

This pork stew meat recipe is hearty and full of flavor. The thick sauce makes a tasty gravy for mashed potatoes and other dishes, making this the perfect dish to feed a crowd.

This pork shoulder stew is so flavorful that you can mistake it for a beef stew. It is not only a delicious meal but also a budget-friendly option, which is always something I love to do: save money without losing the quality of a very good dish.

Tools Needed

You can use the tools you have in your kitchen, but to get the same results and look you see in the photos, here are the key tools I used to make the magic of flavors and looks come to life.

Cast Iron Pot. For this recipe, a 7-qt cast iron pot is necessary. I love the flavors this pot gives to any dish, and I typically cook only with cast iron on a daily basis.

Crinkle cutter. This is a handy little cutter to have around the kitchen. I use it to cut a lot of vegetables. The crinkle cut looks delicious, making me want to eat the vegetables.

Ingredients Needed

Let's get cooking this easy pork stew! The list of ingredients is pretty simple, and you probably have most of them on hand.

Pork shoulder. There are different sizes of pork shoulder, bone in and or boneless and different stores you can get it from. Choose a store with the freshest cuts and boneless pork stew meat.

Onions. A regular yellow onion works for this recipe. If you wanted a mild onion flavor, go with a sweet yellow onion.

Carrots. Choose the largest carrots in the bag. If you love carrots, add more.

Butter. Add flavor with good butter in the ragu.

Flour. I always use unbleached or unbromated King Arthur flour. This is the one ingredient I will always spend a little more money on and get a quality ingredient.

Garlic. Fresh garlic cloves are a must for a good stew.

Salt. This makes all the flavors come alive.

Pepper. A little spice added to the stew with earthy notes.

Coriander. This adds a little nutty flavor with a slight hint of citrus.

Bay leaves. Bring out the flavor of coriander with bay leaves while adding a little more earthy tones to the stew.

Basil leaves. Fresh herbs have more flavor than dried herbs. Basil adds a little sweetness and peppery flavors to the gravy.

How to Make Pork Stew

This batch of classic pork stew is great for feeding a crowd or for making different meals with the leftovers.

Start by preparing your onions and meat. Slice the onions into half-moon pieces. I like the pieces thinner for easier and quicker browning. Then, cube the pork shoulder into ½-inch to 1-inch cubes. I like to cut down the big fatty pieces to have cleaner pieces of meat in my stew. Add the salt and pepper to the meat to season everything along the way. So much tastier that way.

Heat the cast iron pot with olive oil on high. I like the oil to be nice and hot. When you add the onions, they sizzle right away.

Brown the onions, but stir often to prevent them from burning. Add the meat and brown the outside on high. Once almost all the meat pieces are brown on the outside and no raw meat is seen, turn the heat to medium-low and allow the meat to slow cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. The meat is ready when it is easily broken using a fork.

To make the stew soup, add the water and spices to the tender meat. Bring the water to a boil and allow the flavors to blend. This part is so important and should not be skipped, as it will bring all the flavors together. This takes about 15 minutes.

Make and add the ragu. This is a great thickener for the stew that my mom and grandma use for many dishes. You can make this on the stove in a small saucepan or in the microwave using a glass measuring cup. I have done it both ways and it works.

I like to use a saucepan, as it helps cook off some of the fresh flour smell. I start by melting the butter, adding the flour, and cooking it together for a minute or so. Then, I whisk in the water. It is important to whisk in the water slowly so the flour and butter do not leave small clumps. That's not what we want to eat in our stew: clumps of flour and butter.

Add the carrots. About 10 minutes into boiling the water and meat together, add the carrots and mix. Allow the carrots to boil just until slightly tender. Do not overboil the carrots, or they will taste like mush and fall apart. My favorite is when vegetables in the stew are slightly undercooked and have a little crispiness to them. When reheating the stew later, the vegetables still taste amazing and are not overcooked.

Finish the stew. The last step is to add the ragu to the rest of the ingredients. After the flavors of the spices and meat have boiled together and your kitchen is filled with the heavenly aroma of the best stew in the world, it is time to finish it off. Add the ragu and mix while adding with a spoon. Allow the ragu to thicken the stew in just a few minutes or so.

Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta, quinoa, buckwheat, or rice.

How to Store Leftover Stew

I love having leftover stew because it is so easy to store and because pork stew is so tasty. I almost think it is even better as leftovers because the flavors blend even more and make the stew come alive, as well as my taste buds.

Once the pork stew has cooled, transfer it to a food container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I have never frozen pork stew, so you can investigate on your own. I personally do not like frozen vegetables because of the water they retain and how they taste after being thawed from the freezer.

How to Reheat

There are multiple ways to reheat the pork stew. One of the quickest ways is in the microwave, especially if you are packing this for lunch and the only option you have is the microwave.

If you are reheating on the stovetop, add the ingredients to a saucepan and reheat until they come to a boil or to the temperature you like.

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