Keto Hungarian Pork Stew – Pörkölt

 
Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is another beloved dish from my childhood. I’ve decided to put my own twist on this keto stew and make this Hungarian recipe keto friendly. Keto Hungarian Pork Stew is thick, rich and absolutely delicious. It’s perfect for this chilly time of year. Best of all it’s low carb.
 

Pörkölt vs Goulash

 
You might be wondering why this is called pörkölt instead of goulash? Technically, they refer to two different things. Goulash or gulyás refers to a soup. The origins of which trace back to the 9th century when it was made by Hungarian shepherds.
 
Pörkölt refers to a stew, not a soup. With pörkölt, often the meat in browned and the onions are caramelized separately instead of just throwing it all into a big soup pot at once.
 

Traditional Pörkölt vs Keto Hungarian Pork Stew

 
This keto stew recipe is actually fairly traditional. Even more so than the Chicken Paprikash I made a few recipes ago.  There are only three small changes I would make to turn this into a completely traditional Pörkölt. One, take out the smoked paprika and replace it with more Hungarian paprika. I just happen to like the bit of smokey flavor it adds to the stew. Two, instead of using red peppers use Hungarian wax peppers. I used red peppers so that most people following the recipe could find all the ingredients. Lastly, switch out canned tomatoes for fresh tomatoes. I used canned purely out of convenience.  Make those three changes and you have yourself a completely traditional Hungarian pork stew. The only thing you have to do to make a traditional Pörkölt keto is adjust the amounts of onion and tomato. Less onion and tomato and you get fewer carbs. The meat and paprika are really the stars here so don’t worry about scaling back the two more carb-heavy ingredients a little.
 

 

Keto Pork Stew Techniques

 
I use a couple of tricks in this recipe to coax a little extra flavor out of the stew and really make it pop. Frying the onions in pork fat first really develops an amazing flavor and is a classic Hungarian culinary trick.
 
Secondly, briefly add the spices to the pan with pork fat to fry for a few seconds. This deepens their flavor and further develops the dish. This is also another traditional Hungarian technique. You have to be careful when doing this though. It is very easy to burn paprika causing it to taste bitter. The spices should only be in the pan for a very short time and only on low heat.
 
Lastly, I cut the pork shoulder into three parts. Then I sear the pieces on all sides in a hot pan. Searing takes advantage of the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is part of the reason why meat cooked on the grill has that magical flavor that doesn’t usually come from the kitchen. It’s responsible for the brown crust that forms on the outside of a steak. Searing the meat is a way to capture some of that delicious taste. The reason I don’t cut the meat into cubes is that I still want the meat to cook in the stew as well. By searing the meat but not outright cooking it, you straddle the line between gorgeous browned meat and the mouthwatering flavor of a slow-cooked stew. With this technique, you’re getting the best of both.
 

Give it a try

 
This keto stew is absolutely amazing and will be a great addition to your keto dinner rotation. I like to pair it with my keto mashed potatoes. One traditional way of serving pörkölt is with boiled potatoes so serving it with Keto Mashed Potatoes isn’t that far off the mark. I’d love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment or question below and I’ll be sure to respond.
 
If you like this, check out: Keto Chicken Paprikash
 
For a great side to go with this Keto Hungarian Stew, try this: Keto Mashed Potatoes

Print Recipe

Hungarian Pork Stew - Pörkölt Yum

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

European, Hungarian

Keyword

pork, stew

Prep Time

20 mintues

Cook Time

3 hours

Passive Time

2.5 hours

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 3.5 pounds pork shoulder (boston butt)
• 5-7 cloves garlic
• 1-2 onion about 350 to 400 grams
• 2 red peppers or Hungarian wax peppers
• 2 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 packet gelatin
• 3 tbsp paprika Hungarian Sweet
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika or cayenne
• 1/2 tsp carraway
• 1 tbsp dry red wine
• 16 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch xanthan gum
• Salt
• pepper

Course Main Dish Cuisine European, Hungarian Keyword pork, stew Prep Time 20 mintues Cook Time 3 hours Passive Time 2.5 hours Servings servings Ingredients 3.5 pounds pork shoulder (boston butt) 5-7 cloves garlic 1-2 onion about 350 to 400 grams 2 red peppers or Hungarian wax peppers 2 tbsp lard 1 tbsp butter 1 cup chicken stock 1 packet gelatin 3 tbsp paprika Hungarian Sweet 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp hot paprika or cayenne 1/2 tsp carraway 1 tbsp dry red wine 16 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 bay leaf 1 tsp lemon juice 1 pinch xanthan gum Salt pepper

Instructions

1. For prep, crush and chop the garlic, cut the peppers into about 1.5-inch pieces, chop up the onion, and slice the pork into 3 sections. Mix the paprikas and caraway in a small bowl and set aside. Add gelatin to chicken stock and set aside.
2. Heat up a heavy frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot sear the pork on all sides and set aside to rest. Once meat is thoroughly rested cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. In the same pan lower heat to medium-low and add 1 tbsp lard and 1 tbsp butter. Fry the onions in the pan until golden and they begin to caramelize. Remove onions from heat and set aside.
4. In the same pan lower heat to low and add the paprika, caraway, garlic, and 1 tbsp lard. Cook for a few seconds stirring continually being careful not to let paprika burn. Deglaze with red wine and remove from heat.
5. In a pot over medium heat add 16 oz crushed tomatoes. Allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes without stirring. Then add the stock mixture, seasoning/wine mixture, bay leaf and meat. Stir thoroughly and reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to cook for about 2 hours on low heat.
6. Remove cover and add the peppers, onions, and one pinch of xanthan gum. Allow to cook down until desired consistency. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional Facts:

makes 10 servings

per serving:

calories: 379

fat: 24 g

net carbs: 6 g

protein: 31

Hungarian Sweet Paprika	Hungarian Smoked Paprika	Anthony's Xanthan Gum
Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin : Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed, Non-GMO