Hearty Pork Stew Recipe for a Cozy Fall Dinner

It’s National Pork Month, so naturally, we’re celebrating with a hearty pork stew!

Tender pork shoulder, smoky bacon, carrots, onions and potatoes simmer together until the pork is tender and the broth is rich and flavorful. It takes some time on the stove, but most of that time is hands-off, making this a great recipe to start when you have a chilly afternoon at home.

And while the finished dish is all about comfort, there’s a little more of a farm-to-table story behind it, too.

A Pork Stew With a Soybean Connection

Soybeans may not be an ingredient you expect to see in a pork stew, but they can still be part of the story behind the meal.

Soybean meal is an important source of protein in livestock feed, including diets for pigs. In South Dakota, pigs account for 61% of the state's soybean meal usage. Once soybeans are harvested and processed, the soybean meal can be used as livestock feed while soybean oil goes on to have a variety of other uses.

So, while there aren't soybeans in this stew, they can play a role earlier in the journey from South Dakota fields to the pork on your plate.

Cozy, Hearty and Made for Fall

A good pork stew doesn't need a long list of complicated ingredients. Pork shoulder, bacon, vegetables and a few pantry staples come together to make a dinner that is warm, filling and full of flavor.

And the next time you sit down to a bowl of pork stew, remember that the story behind your meal can stretch all the way back to a South Dakota soybean field.

Want to try other soy-based recipes? Explore our recipes page!

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Pork Stew

Yield: 7-8

Author: Hungry For Truth

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 H & 20 MTotal time: 2 H & 40 M

When the weather turns chilly, a hearty pork stew is just the thing to warm up the kitchen and fill the table. This cozy fall recipe combines tender pork shoulder, bacon, carrots and potatoes with a rich, savory broth. And there’s a South Dakota agriculture connection hiding in the bowl: soybeans are an important source of protein in pig diets.

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into - 1½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 medium carrots, 2 diced and 2 cut into 1½-inch-long pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 Yukon gold potatoes, (about 2 pounds), diced
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh flat leaf parsley, for serving
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Chop bacon into 1 inch pieces & cook in a large pot, then cook the pork shoulder. Remove meat and set aside for later.
2. nce the meat has been removed, dump the bacon grease and cook your carrots and onion until translucent Then add garlic, tomato paste, and chicken stock.”
3. Add your bacon and pork back in, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes until the pork is tender.
4. Add your carrots and potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add your roux, which is flour and butter to thicken the stew.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is an estimate. Actual values can vary considerably depending on the products or brands used.

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