Hearty Irish Pork Stew with Guinness and Caraway Seeds
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This hearty & delectable Irish Pork Stew uses tons of seasonal veggies, high-quality pork roast, caraway seeds, and even some Guinness to meld delicious Irish flavors into this nutritious and festive meal. This traditional Irish stew is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or for cold winter days!
My family recently invested in a pasture-raised heritage breed pig from a local farmer. I love supporting small farmers and our local economy, and being close to the source of my food.
Now that I have a freezer full of high-quality pork, my mind started reeling at all of the things I can start making!
January in Minnesota can be frigidly cold, so I thought about what kinds of healthy comfort foods I could create. With St. Patrick’s Day a couple of months away, I also wanted to come up with a recipe to celebrate.
Enter this hearty Irish Pork Stew. This seriously has overtaken beef stew in my personal preferences now. It is SO good, and the flavors are both comforting and unique.
If you’re looking for pork stew meat recipes, or if you’re like me and have a freezer full of pork roasts from which to chop your own stew meat, you’re going to fall in love with this recipe!
While St. Patrick’s Day is an obvious time to enjoy this meal, it’s also the ultimate cozy fall & winter stew recipe. This recipe is full of warmth and comfort.
Skip the Corned Beef!
Did you know that corned beef and cabbage is not truly Irish?
Don’t get me wrong, Irish immigrants in America did enjoy corned beef but it evolved into something quite different than what was traditionally enjoyed in Ireland hundreds of years prior.
Traditionally, Ireland did not have a heavy beef consumption. Cattle were bred for dairy production, not for meat. In Gaelic culture, cows are a symbol of wealth and are considered sacred.
Because of their sacred status symbol, cows were only killed for meat when they became too old for dairy production, and only the wealthy got to partake in eating the meat.
The meat was salted (aka “corned”) and served at festivals, but it was not eaten by common people on a regular basis.
There are hundreds of years of more history in there, especially relating to the English invasion and the beef culture they brought to Ireland, but we don’t need to get that nitty gritty here. All that to say, the corned beef we know today is not traditional.
Eventually, Irish American immigrants in early America ended up having enough money to purchase meat, including beef.
They ended up buying kosher corned brisket almost exclusively from Jewish delicatessens, and now what we envision as Irish corned beef is really Jewish corned beef with cabbage and potatoes.
What Makes this Stew Irish?
Pigs were the most common animal bred for their meat in Ireland. It is much more traditional to serve a dish with pork instead of beef.
This stew also features potatoes, which became popular in Ireland because they are hearty, nutrient-dense, and grow well in Irish soil.
We also throw in some other traditional Irish flavors, like stout (Guinness) and caraway seeds. This stew was just as much fun to create as is is to eat!
Irish Pork Stew Ingredients
To make this hearty & delicious Irish pork stew, you need the following ingredients:
- Pork Roast – You could use a bone-in or boneless pork shoulder or pork loin–whatever you prefer. You will be cutting & cubing the meat.
- All Purpose Flour – We just use a total 1/2 cup to coat the pork & thicken the stew.
- Green Cabbage – Green cabbage withstands cooking well and gets very tender in the stew. It’s a great ingredient to add more veggies.
- Root Vegetables – Potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic
- Chicken Broth – for stew liquid
- Guinness – You can use any Irish Stout. This adds depth and flavor to our stew liquid. You can use non-alcoholic if preferred.
- Balsamic Vinegar – For depth and a little acidity. You can also use red wine vinegar if you prefer.
- Bay Leaf & Caraway Seeds for flavoring
- Olive Oil for cooking
- Salt & Black Pepper for seasoning
For equipment, you will need a Dutch oven, cutting board, and sharp knife.
How to Make Dutch Oven Irish Pork Stew
To make this hearty stew, follow the instructions below:
1. Prep Pork
Cut pork roast into bite-size 1-inch cubes, trimming off fat as needed. Put the pork into a Ziploc bag or large container with a lid.
Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Shake or stir to mix until the pork pieces are evenly coated. Set aside.
2. Prep Veggies
Cut the potatoes and cabbage into bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch pieces. Place into a large bowl and set aside.
Next, chop the large onion into bite-sized pieces. Slice the celery stalks into pieces and cut the carrots into coins. Mince 3 cloves garlic.
3. Brown Meat
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place a Dutch oven or other oven-safe large pot on the stovetop to medium-high heat (use medium heat if your stove runs hot like mine).
When hot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and place the pork pieces into the hot oil. Don’t overlap them–you may need to work in batches and do half of the meat at one time.
Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until brown and lightly crispy. They do not need to be cooked all the way through. Remove the pork from the Dutch oven and set aside.
4. Cook Veggies
Add the last tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Then, sprinkle the other 1/4 cup flour and the remaining 1 tsp of salt on the veggies. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add Liquids & Flavorings
Add the chicken broth slowly and use your spoon or spatula to help deglaze the pan. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot into your broth for flavor.
Then add the Guinness beer and balsamic vinegar, followed by the bay leaves and caraway seeds.
6. Stuff the Pot
Add the rest of the ingredients in the following order: potatoes, followed by the cabbage, followed by the pork on top.
This will keep your pork out of the liquid to help preserve your crispy edges while it stews.
7. Cook
Place the lid on the Dutch Oven and put it in the oven. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours until pork and potatoes are fork tender.
8. Stir & Serve
Carefully pull the stew from the oven (it’s heavy!) and remove the lid. Stir pork and cabbage into the liquid and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
The stew is ready to serve!
Slow Cooker Pork Stew Instructions
If you would like to make this stew in the slow cooker, that would work fine. I still recommend browning the meat if you’re able (but if you can’t that’s okay–I just believe it adds terrific flavor and tenderness) and still layering the stew so the meat sits on top of the cabbage and out of the liquid.
Cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 4-6 hours on high depending on your crockpot. Stew is done when the pork and potatoes are tender.
Make this Gluten Free!
If you need to make this stew gluten-free, you can use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour substitute instead of all-purpose flour. You can also swap out the Guinness for a gluten-free stout beer.
I use Yukon gold potatoes because I love the buttery flavor, but you can use whatever potatoes you have on hand. Red potatoes, baby potatoes, or russets would work great.
I used a pork roast for this stew, but since we are cubing the meat, feel free to use pork shoulder steaks if that’s what you have. This stew will certainly yield tender meat with many cuts! Just aim for around 2 pounds of cubed meat, give or take. You don’t want too much because this pot will get pretty full!
Serving Suggestions
This Irish pork stew is a complete meal in and of itself with protein, veggies, healthy carbs, and fats. But you can round out the meal by serving it with a delicious loaf of Irish soda bread or other crusty bread, such as my 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough.
A green salad would also be a great accompaniment, such as this Kale Crunch Salad. My smoked carrots with hot honey would be a unique and interesting side dish for this stew, too!
Related Recipes
Not sure that stew is your thing and want to try some of my other healthy pork recipes? I highly recommend my smoked chipotle-orange pork roast.
If you want another hearty & wholesome stew recipe, give my slow cooker bison stew a try. It is phenomenal!
Of course, I must also recommend my Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice soup. It’s a family favorite.
Nutritional Information
This recipe makes eight servings. The stats below are for one serving:
- Calories: 514
- Protein: 34 grams
- Fat: 27 grams (8 grams saturated)
- Carbs: 29.7 grams
- Fiber: 4.8 grams
Storage Info
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. This stew reheats well, and I recommend reheating in a small pot on the stove.
Celebrate with Stew!
Make this Irish Pork Stew anytime, but especially to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Please leave a comment and review! It means the world!
Irish Pork Stew with Guinness & Caraway Seeds
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven
- 1 Sharp Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound pork roast - shoulder or loin
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium head green cabbage - or 1/2 large head
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatos
- 1 large onion - white or yellow
- 3 large carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bottle Guinness - 12 ounces
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Cut pork roast into bite-size cubes, trimming off fat as needed. Put pork into a ziploc bag or container with lid. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Shake or stir to mix until the pork pieces are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Cut the potatoes and cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Place into a large bowl and set aside. Next, chop the onion into medium-sized pieces (about 1-inch). Slice the celery stalks into pieces and cut the carrots into coins. Mince the garlic.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place a dutch oven on the stovetop and heat 1 tbsp olive oil in it over medium-high heat (use medium heat if your stove runs hot). When hot, add the pork pieces. Don't overlap them–you may need to work in batches. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes until brown and lightly crispy. They do not need to be cooked all the way through. Remove the pork and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then sprinkle the other 1/4 cup flour and remaining 1 tsp of salt on the veggies. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth slowly and use your spoon or spatula to help deglaze the pan. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom into your broth for flavor. Then add the Guinness and balsamic vinegar, followed by the bay leaves and caraway seeds.
- Add the rest of the ingredients in the following order: potatoes, followed by the cabbage, followed by the pork on top. This will keep your pork out of the liquid to help preserve your crispy edges while it stews.
- Place the lid on the Dutch Oven and put it in the oven. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours until pork and potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove the stew from the oven and remove the lid. Stir to combine the pork and cabbage into the liquid. Your stew is ready to serve.
Video
This is one of the recipes I am most proud of for sure–super underrated! It really is a wholesome, hearty delight that is perfect for chilly days or St. Patrick’s day.