Pork Stew

December 21, 2018 7:30 AM

I’ve agreed to make a pork stew for Christmas dinner, and I am not happy with what I have found so far. Please recipe me!

Limiters:

* If wine is used, it should be white
* No dairy
* No mushrooms
* Stovetop cooking vastly preferred

Honestly, I’m thinking of just cutting up a little bacon, saluting onions and garlic, browning the meat, adding wine, stock, and herbs (sage? Bay?), simmering for about 90 minutes or so, then adding potatoes and carrots, cooking for about 20 more minutes, then adding apples. Is that so crazy?

posted by GenjiandProust to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

Best answer: Depending on what cut of pork and the size of the chunks, it may take longer than 90 min to become tender. I'd plan on at least 2 hours.

I like this recipe from Williams-Sonoma: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/pork-and-pumpkin-stew.html
Pork on its own can be bland; the spices make it appropriately festive.
posted by libraryhead at 7:37 AM on December 21, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: That sounds good to me! I would maybe add the apple a little earlier in the process. I would brown the meat first, take it out, then add the onions and garlic, sautee and add the meat back. Potatoes and carrots should probably be added for the last 45 minutes of simmering time. The pork may take longer than 90 minutes as libraryhead points out. If using sage, I would fry it and add at the end. Bay leaves could be added in the beginning. Butternut squash could be added if you decide to go with sage. A little thyme probably wouldn't go amiss.
posted by peacheater at 7:40 AM on December 21, 2018 [3 favorites]

Christmas tradition in many households is to make posole. To deepen the flavor, start with a whole pork loin and roast it first with garlic and onion and mexican blend seasonings (oregano, cumin, etc). Then dice all that up and use it in place of the boiled pork in any standard posole recipe. So good!
posted by TestamentToGrace at 7:43 AM on December 21, 2018 [8 favorites]

I would make Posole or Chile Verde, if spiciness is an option at all and you live in a place where you can get tomatillos.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:50 AM on December 21, 2018 [5 favorites]

I second the idea of Pork Green Chile.
posted by mmascolino at 8:08 AM on December 21, 2018 [3 favorites]

This Thai Pork Stew is one of my regulars. It's a crock pot recipe - very easy.
posted by something something at 8:25 AM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

How about a west African peanut stew? The recipes I've found that feature chicken thighs could easily use pork instead.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 8:37 AM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

May I suggest feijoada? The last time I made it, I used pork, ribs, and chorizo.
posted by Comrade_robot at 8:50 AM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I can't link right now but mmascolino's recipe has a pressure cooker version on the site and I've made it and it's dead easy and delicious and I think would be very Mexican-Christmasy. It's green, yo.
posted by HotToddy at 9:12 AM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think what you have planned is perfect, the only suggestions I'd make would be to switch wine for cider and to add a tablespoon of (wholegrain, dijon) mustard for added oomph.
posted by humph at 9:19 AM on December 21, 2018 [2 favorites]

Similar but with a bit more interesting flavor, IMO, is this pork curry I've made a bunch of times.
posted by thirdletter at 9:27 AM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

If not green chili, absolutely carne adovada.

You absolutely need some heavy flavors to make up for pork's relative mildness (a stew made for beef won't work well) and boy howdy is that whole chile sauce/broth a heavy hitter. The recipe is for a taco filling, but if you change the ratios slightly or just add more chicken broth you're golden for a stew; that's how we usually eat it.

Works really well in a pressure cooker.
posted by supercres at 9:40 AM on December 21, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Two meta-recommendations no matter what recipe you go with: avoid any cut leaner than shoulder, and avoid slow cookers.
posted by supercres at 9:45 AM on December 21, 2018 [4 favorites]

When I stew pork, I go for a goulash-type dish, so with paprika and bell peppers. I also put a bit of smoky bacon in there.
posted by mumimor at 12:52 PM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I will nth the idea of something with chilis. We've made this two times in two weeks because it's delicious and fairly easy and I'd be delighted to eat it again on Christmas. It would also scale up easily, depending on how many people you need to feed.
posted by vakker at 4:16 PM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm more of a recipe-follower or a recipe-modifier than a recipe-creator, so I have no firm opinion on your proposed stew. And I suspect that this isn't your stew (from The Best Recipe), as it's made in the oven and with cream. BUT I made it recently, found it pretty easy and definitely holiday-worthy delicious, and I think the recipe could adapt to your preferences. The cream is just a 1/2 cup added near the end, and I suspect that whatever you usually substitute for cream would be fine. It just simmers in a covered pot in a low oven, so I don't know why it couldn't simmer on the stove instead... Or, if it's a matter of having the oven free for something else at the time, this stew was even better re-heated on the stovetop, so you could make it ahead .
posted by daisyace at 4:39 PM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

For something entirely different (and I don't know if it'll work for you), what about a Japanese curry? Japanese curry usually involves stew meat and standard stew veggies (potato, carrot, onion), and it cooked on the stove top.
posted by that girl at 8:47 PM on December 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: No recipe because we just wing it but the basic concept of pork, chorizo, cider and Lima/butter beans works really well. Add paprika early and some apple towards the end.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 2:04 PM on December 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks! I started with some bacon and butter, added diced onion, cooked for a while, added garlic, then a bottle of cider and a cup of stock, scraped the bottom, added carrots, more onions, and potatoes, simmered for 90 min, added apples and a bit more cider. Sage was the main spice, dried at the beginning, fresh at the end, plus bay. It was good, but a little sweet and soupy. Still, a good first try.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:28 AM on January 15, 2019