Here’s a moist and flavorful Dutch Oven Irish Pork Stew for your St Patrick’s Day table - or any time you want a savory pork roast with vegetables. Cooked low and slow and flavored with a good dark beer, the result is tender meat and vegetables in a rich sauce.
This tender and elegant roast pork stew will be a pleasant surprise if you were thinking of corned beef as the essential Irish meat dish. In addition to the deep flavor of the stout, caraway gives a distinctive taste and aroma, adding to the complex flavor.
It takes about 5 ½ hours at 275 degrees F to make the pork fork-shreddable. The carrots, potatoes and onions take on all the flavor and savor, too. Kale gives the stew a bright, lively freshness and some GREEN.
What thickens the irish pork stew?
- Gluten-free flour, stirred in with the meat. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 baking blend.
- Yukon Gold potatoes will thicken the stew a little, but not as much as russet potatoes would. I like russets for my Instant Pot Colcannon but prefer the less-starchy Yukons in a stew.
- Optional pork bones would also provide some thickening.
NOTE: the photo below shows Guinness, which you'd ONLY add if you are NOT making this recipe gluten-free - read on for a recommendation for a stout that is GF!
What cut of pork do you use?
I used a beautiful, 3-pound boneless pork shoulder roast from Wild Pastures. Wild Pastures is a company dedicated to providing healthy, pasture-raised meats. I'm a member and have found the beef, chicken and pork fresh and delicious and the delivery service great.
This is not a sponsored post - I'm just impressed with the company goals and products - but if you click here on my Wild Pastures referral link I'll get a credit on my next order. Every member can share a referral link for a credit like this.
What kind of stout beer works for Dutch oven irish pork stew?
Though NOT gluten-free, Guinness is a familiar and readily available choice to add the "Irishness" to this stew. Guinness is brewed from barley, a gluten-containing grain. The hunt for a gluten-free stout is on!
The best option near me in Denver is Green’s Gluten-Free Discovery, a highly-rated gluten-free stout that I purchase at Total Wine and More. I encourage you to scout around for local gluten-free dark beers.
You can find more alternatives to Guinness at this wonderful website, Best Gluten-free Beers. Only certain ones may be available near you. Of course as is true of so many other gluten-free foods, GF beers may be two or three times as expensive as their glutinous counterparts.
What if I don't want to add beer to my Irish Pork Stew?
If your concern is the alcohol, it will cook off while your stew is in the oven. Of course you may prefer not to cook with beer at all. Alternatives that I have heard of (but NOT tried) include: beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or cola instead.
You'll have no problem selling this savory, hearty meal to any St. Patrick's Day crowd that might be expecting lamb - or corned beef - regardless of the liquid you flavor it with!
What are the steps in making this Dutch Oven Irish pork stew with stout?
- Assemble your ingredients.
- Place the carrots on the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Layer the potatoes on top of the carrots.
- Place the flour-coated pork chunks on top of that, and sprinkle with seasonings and herbs.
- Layer on the onions in an even layer. You can add kale at this point, or add it near the end for it to stay crisper and greener. Pour the stout and the broth evenly over all.
- Cover and roast the stew for 5 ½ hours at 275 degrees F. Add the kale at 5 hours if you haven't stirred it in at the start. Finally, remove any optional bones, stir your lovely stew, and check the seasonings. Serve over this colcannon!
Do you need to sauté the ingredients?
For this slow-roasting method, I don't find that searing the meat or sautéing the vegetables is necessary. The slow-roasting caramelizes the vegetables and tenderizes the meat without a sauté step.
Other stew recipes on A Meal In Mind
Old Fashioned Slow-Baked Beef Stew; Gluten-free
If you make this or any of the recipes on A Meal In Mind, please let me know! Or if you like the recipe, leave a comment, rate it, post pictures on Facebook or Twitter. Hashtag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!
Beth
Dutch Oven Irish Pork Stew with Stout
Equipment
- Dutch Oven, 6 quart
- Santoku or other good Knives
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork shoulder or about 3 pounds of cubed meat, trimmed of fat
- ½ pound pork bones optional
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour I used Bob’s Red Mill
- 2 teaspoons pink sea salt or to taste divided
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 medium or one large yellow onion chopped (about 3-4 cups)
- 4 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 pound baby or small Yukon Gold or small red potatoes quartered
- 1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free dark beer like Green’s Gluten-Free Discovery see notes
- 1 ½ cups pork or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil optional
- ½ pound of kale ribs removed, chopped
- ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Trim fat from the meat (and discard), and cut the pork into 1-2 inch chunks. In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the flour over the meat chunks and stir to distribute. Sprinkle with half the salt and half the pepper. I do not find it necessary to brown the meat when using this method but you can if you wish.
- Assembling the stew: if using pork bones, add them to the Dutch oven first. Layer on the carrots and potatoes.
- Place the pork chunks and onions on that (and kale, if adding now).
- Sprinkle on the caraway seeds and tuck the bay leaves into the vegetables. Pour in the Stout (or alternative) and broth. Drizzle the top layer of vegetables with the oil (an optional step but it helps the onions to caramelize).
- Cover the Dutch oven tightly with foil, then place the lid on top of that. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven.
- About 15 minutes before the stew is done, blanch the kale in boiling water for just 1 minute until it's softened and bright green. Stir it into the stew right when you remove it from the oven. The residual heat will continue to cook and flavor it. Alternatively, add the kale with the other vegetables - it just won't stay bright green.
- Carefully remove the stew from the oven - it's heavy. The onions on top should be caramelized and the pork and other vegetables very tender without falling apart. Carefully remove the bones, if you used them, and discard. Stir the stew and serve.
- If you would like to remove as much pork fat as possible, you will need to make this stew the day before you plan to serve it. Once it's removed from the oven and cooled sufficiently, refrigerate it (see note) so that the fat will solidify on top and can be easily removed with a spoon. Then place the stew back in the oven at 275 for 40 minutes for the stew to warm up.
- Serve: on its own or a bed of Colcannon.
Notes
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Gloria
I love cooking in a dutch oven. The food always turns out fantastic. This sounds mouth-watering. Perfect for dinner one night this week.
Beth
Thanks Gloria, I make at least one meal in the Dutch oven every week - it's really my favorite way to cook pork, beef or lamb and I don't know what I did without it!
Veronika Sykorova
I love cooking in a dutch oven! Even though spring is around the corner, it's still super cold here in Canada so this is the perfect comfort meal. Can't wait to try it!
Beth
Yes, though it gets cold here in Denver I know we get a lot more sun here, and Dutch oven recipes like this are still so great! Glad the stew sounds good to you.
Chef Dennis
What a delicious stew! I can't wait to make it for my family tonight!!
Beth
I'm so happy to hear it, Dennis! It's truly a great family meal.
Tracy
Love my Dutch oven and all of the flavors in this stew. So perfectly tender! Thank you for a great recipe!
Beth
Thank you, Tracy, I'm so happy to hear it. I honestly don't know what I'd do without my Dutch oven!
Chandice Probst
Yum this dish fills the belly and the soul!! What a flavorful dish, thank you!
Beth
Thanks, Chandice, it's really satisfying in these cool March days.
Shelley
Such wonderful comfort food ... like wrapping the fam up in a big, welcoming hug! Really interesting point about how Yukon Golds thicken stew a bit, although not as much as russets - I wouldn't have thought of that! And also so helpful about Guinness not actually being gluten-free! Thanks!
Beth
Thanks so much, Shelley - this stew is exactly like a hug. Glad you got the point about the different potatoes, too. I keep hoping Guinness will develop a gluten-free version but that's asking a lot, so not holding my breath!
Alex
What if I don't want beer - 😆 Of course I want beer in my stew! That sounds awesome. And I love the BRM flour you used. That's my favorite!
Beth
Haha, I know the idea of beer-optional seems strange to some. Isn't BRM flour great? So versatile and available.
Elaine
Fantastic recipe to cook pork. I don't have enough of it in the kitchen, but it is certainly the recipe to try after the next grocery run!
Beth
Thanks, Elaine, it's such a great recipe for a pork roast - I hope it comes out great for you.
Tristin @ Home Cooked Harvest
I can't wait to use my dutch oven to try out this delicious looking recipe! This is going to make such a perfect spring meal.
Beth
Isn't the Dutch oven great? Thanks for the comment, Tristin, and I hope you enjoy it.
Moop Brown
This dish looks incredibly filling and bursting with flavor. I definitely want to try making this one soon!
Beth
You've described this stew exactly, Moop. I love how the Dutch oven makes all the flavors meld together, too.
Franca
Amazing recipe! I just made this yesterday. I was looking for something to do with pork that would result in tender pork pieces and this was delicious! Love your method of layering everything in the Dutch oven and then just letting it slow cook for hours. My stew was actually done after 3 and 1/2 hours. Very tender. I was a little hesitant about not browning the pork, but as you correctly said, it was not necessary at all. There is ample flavour in the finished stew! I also added 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds, and 1 tsp each dried oregano and basil for added flavour. Everyone enjoyed it immensely! Thanks again!!
Beth
Franca, I am so delighted you enjoyed the pork stew recipe and the Dutch oven method. It's great to know how long it took for yours to become as tender as you wanted. And the additions of fennel seeds and oregano sound delish!
karen mitchell
Just made this, delicious! I used fennel seeds, spinach and added mushrooms.
Thank you.
Beth
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Mmm, yes, I can imagine how tasty it would be with those additions. Thanks for sharing.