Name: Hearty Pork Shoulder Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 1⅔ pounds pork shoulder (cut into large pieces); 2 medium onions (sliced); 1½-2 celery ribs (chopped); 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 10-12 prunes (pitted, roughly chopped); 3 medium carrots (peeled, cut in half lengthwise then widthways into 3 parts); 4.23 ounces green beans (cut into 3 pieces each); ⅔ pound mushrooms (wiped, not rinsed, thickly sliced); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1½ tablespoons all-purpose/plain flour; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 bay leaf; 4 juniper berries; 2 allspice berries; 3 sprigs of thyme (or ⅔tsp dried); 1 cup cider (dry or medium, regular or alcohol-free); 1½ cups chicken stock (use 1½ stock cubes); Sea salt and pepper to taste (I recommend rainbow coloured peppercorns)

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This pork shoulder stew features tender pieces of pork cooked in a rich, flavourful broth alongside simple vegetables. Hearty, filling and delicious this easy stew makes a perfect cold weather meal. See my serving suggestions at the bottom of the post.

Side view of pork shoulder stew with vegetables and herbs in shallow pan with wooden spoon.

This pork shoulder stew is made by cooking pieces of pork alongside vegetables in a rich and delicious broth until tender. Pork shoulder contains a certain amount of fat, which helps produce tender, juicy meat, ideally suited to slow cooking including braising and making stews (see also Polish pork goulash stew). The recipe is easy to make and ready in a few simple steps (see Instructions below).

My easy pork shoulder stew contains a generous amount of vegetables and does not include potatoes (though you can certainly serve it with potatoes). The vegetables are a mixture of earthy mushrooms, sweet carrots, green beans (which add colour) and lots of onion. The broth is deeply savoury but with sweet undertones, made with chicken stock as well as cider, which adds an extra layer of flavour including a hint of acidity, eliminating the need to use tomato paste, popular in classic pork stew recipes.

Pork shoulder stew ingredients and substitutions

Top down view of pork shoulder stew ingredients in small, labelled dishes. — Pork shoulder stew ingredients.

Pork shoulder.
Vegetables: onion, celery, garlic, carrots, green beans, mushrooms.
Herbs and spices: bay leaf, juniper berries, allspice berries, thyme and parsley for serving.
Chicken stock.
Cider: you can use ale, instead. Both regular and alcohol-free varieties are suitable.
Soy sauce.
Prunes: add depth and complexity and work incredibly well in savoury dishes (including Polish sauerkraut stew and vegetarian goulash). Don't skip this ingredient!
Flour.
Olive oil and butter.
Salt and pepper: I like to use aromatic rainbow-coloured peppercorns in this recipe.

How to prepare pork shoulder for stew

I recommend cutting the meat into good size pieces (see photos below). This is because you can brown them quickly in one batch (if, like me, you are using a large pan) and they won't disappear in the stew as they cook (they will shrink a bit). If, however, you have bought meat that's already been cut into small pieces (or simply prefer to use smaller pieces) brown it in 2 batches and reduce cooking time in Step 3 by 10-15 minutes.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Brown meat: Heat one tablespoon of oil, add the meat and cook for a few minutes over a medium heat until lightly browned all over. Transfer the meat to a bowl.

Large pieces of pork shoulder searing in white, shallow pan.

2. Sautee vegetables: To the same pan add the bay leaf, juniper and allspice berries, onion and celery. Cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened stirring often (add a drop of oil, if needed). Towards the end of cooking stir in the garlic.

Sliced onion with bay leaf in large, shallow white pan.

3. Add pork: Return the pork to the pan (along with the juices), add the prunes, stock, cider, sprigs of thyme and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer then lower the heat and cook gently for 1 hour and 10 minutes stirring occasionally. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables.

Large pieces of meat in broth with onion in large pan.

Top down view of pork pieces in broth with onion in white, shallow pan.

4. Brown mushrooms: In a large, non-stick pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the mushrooms and cook over a fairly high heat for about 4 minutes until lightly browned. Do not add salt and stir only once or twice (so the mushrooms don't release moisture). Stir in the soy sauce and cook for a minute or so until fully absorbed. Add the flour and butter, lower the heat and stir until the flour is no longer visible. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Top down view of sliced, browned mushrooms in large, grey pan.

Top down view of browned sliced mushrooms in large pan.

5. Add vegetables: To the stew add the mushrooms, carrots and beans. Stir, cover and bring to a simmer again then cook for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Stew with carrot pieces, green beans and sliced mushrooms on top in large pan.

Cooked stew with pork shoulder and vegetables in large shallow pan.

6. Serve: Remove from the heat and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with fresh parsley (and thyme, as an option).

Top down view of stew with pork, vegetables and herbs in shallow pan with wooden spoon.

*Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a full, printable list of ingredients and instructions.

Serving suggestions

This rich and delicious pork shoulder stew with vegetables is ideal to serve over either mashed, baked or simply boiled potatoes (my personal favourite). It can also be served with pearl barley, buckwheat or fresh, crusty bread to mop up the gravy.

What to prepare ahead

This hearty stew with pork shoulder does require a bit of time, but you can easily prepare it over 2 days. Here is how:

Cook the pork in the broth (Steps 1-3), cool then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the carrots, beans and mushrooms (slice the mushrooms but don't cook them yet). Cover and refrigerate overnight (you can place the carrots and beans in the same container).
The following day cook the mushrooms (Step 4) then assemble the stew and finish cooking as per Instructions (Steps 5-6).

Top tips

Pat the meat dry before making the stew.
If your pork shoulder pieces are quite small (or if using a small pan) brown them in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Also reduce cooking time (to about 1 hour in Step 3).
To save time prepare the mushrooms, carrots and beans while the pork is simmering in the broth (Step 3).
Once you've added all the vegetables the mixture may look like it doesn't have enough liquid but don't add any more at this point because the vegetables will release moisture as they cook. You can add a splash of stock, if needed, once the stew is cooked.
Best served hot. The flavour will continue to develop as the stew cools, and it will taste even better the next day.
Refrigerate leftover pork shoulder and vegetable stew for up to 4 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

See also these other easy, delicious dinner recipes!

Recipe

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If you make this easy pork shoulder stew recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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