Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Main Courses All Course Types
•
Diet: High-Protein, Dairy-Free

Gulasz Wieprzowy (Traditional Polish Pork Stew)

A deeply savoury, melt-in-the-mouth pork shoulder stew, heavily scented with marjoram and slow-cooked to yield a rich, glossy gravy.
Prep time 20m
Temp 100°C (212°F)
Cook time 1h 50m
Rest time 10m
Total 2h 20m
Yield 6
Per serving:
415 kcal
10g Carbs
32g Protein
27g Fat
By Adam Dworak

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Ingredients

  • 1000 g
    Pork Shoulder
    Pork Shoulder
  • 30 g
    Plain Flour
    Plain Flour
  • 17 g
    Salt
    Salt
  • 5 g
    Black Pepper
    Black Pepper
  • 30 g
    Lard
    Lard
  • 300 g
    Brown Onion
    Brown Onion
  • 4 pcs
    Garlic cloves
    Garlic cloves
  • 15 g
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 30 g
    Tomato Puree
    Tomato Puree
  • 800 ml
    Water
    Water
  • 3 pcs
    Bay Leaves
    Bay Leaves
  • 4 pcs
    Allspice Berries
    Allspice Berries
  • 10 g
    Dried Marjoram
    Dried Marjoram

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Kitchen Kit

  • Heavy Dutch Oven
  • Chopping Board
  • Wooden Spoon
Stew with a wooden spoon in a pot on a wooden table | Cook & Keeper - Gulasz wieprzowy

Method

  1. Trim any excessively hard fat from the pork shoulder, then chop the meat into roughly 3cm cubes. Tip the meat into a large bowl.
  2. Add the plain flour, 10g of the salt, and the black pepper to the bowl. Toss aggressively until every chunk of pork is evenly coated and tacky.
  3. Place a heavy-based Dutch oven or casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the pork lard and let it melt until shimmering.
  4. Sear the pork in batches. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of browning. Let it sit undisturbed until a hard crust forms, then flip. Remove the browned pork to a plate and set aside.
  5. Drop the heat to medium. Chuck the diced onions and minced garlic directly into the residual pork fat. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and translucent, scraping up any loose bits from the bottom.
  6. Tip in the sweet paprika and tomato purée. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw tomato flavour and toast the spices until the mixture turns a deep, brick red.
  7. Pour in the water to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to aggressively scrape the bottom of the pot, lifting all that deeply caramelised fond into the liquid. Bring to a rolling boil (this will take about 5-7 minutes).
  8. Return the seared pork and any resting juices to the pot. Toss in the bay leaves, bash the allspice berries lightly with the flat of your knife and chuck them in, followed by the dried marjoram and the remaining 7g of salt.
  9. Drop the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and leave to gently simmer for 75 minutes. The liquid should barely tick over.
  10. Remove the lid for the final 15 minutes of cooking. Let the stew bubble slightly harder to reduce the liquid, ensuring it coats the back of a spoon with a rich, glossy finish. Let it rest for 10 minutes off the heat before serving.
Chef's Note & Storage
Fridge up to 4 days. The sauce thickens considerably as it cools; reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water to loosen the gravy.
Meatball with red sauce on a wooden spoon on a rustic background | Cook & Keeper - Gulasz wieprzowy

The Polish Workhorse: A Masterclass in Gulasz

Forget everything you know about watery, vegetable-heavy stews. True Polish Gulasz Wieprzowy is a different beast entirely from its Hungarian cousin. It is an exercise in the slow, deliberate building of savoury depth. We’re taking humble, hardworking pork shoulder and transforming it through heat, time, and the holy trinity of Polish aromatics: sweet paprika, earthy marjoram, and a hit of allspice. This isn't just dinner; it's a cold-weather survival tactic, designed to be mopped up with crispy potato pancakes (placki ziemniaczane) or a mountain of fresh kopytka.

CHEF'S SECRET: The flour does double duty here. By dusting the raw pork before searing, you achieve a rapid, aggressive crust. Crucially, as that flour browns in the hot lard, it toasts, losing its raw cereal flavour and acting as the foundational thickening agent that gives the final gravy its signature glossy, mouth-coating texture. Do not rush the sear.

❖

The Fond is the Foundation

The magic of this dish happens entirely in the bottom of the pot. When you sear the pork, you'll leave behind a dark, gnarly layer of caramelised meat proteins and toasted flour—the fond. When the water hits that hot cast iron later in the method, you must aggressively scrape the bottom with a sturdy wooden spoon. That dark residue is pure, concentrated umami. Leave it stuck to the pan, and your gravy will lack its soul.

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Kluski Śląskie (Traditional Silesian Potato Dumplings)
Tłuczone Ziemniaki z Koperkiem i Masłem (Traditional Polish Dill Mashed Potatoes)

Tłuczone Ziemniaki z Koperkiem i Masłem (Traditional Polish Dill Mashed Potatoes)
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Placki Ziemniaczane (Polish Potato Pancakes)

Elevating Finishes

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Fresh Polish Sunday Kompot
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Gulasz Wieprzowy (Traditional Polish Pork Stew)
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Main Courses, All Course Types
Diet:High-Protein, Dairy-Free

Gulasz Wieprzowy (Traditional Polish Pork Stew)

By Adam Dworak

A deeply savoury, melt-in-the-mouth pork shoulder stew, heavily scented with marjoram and slow-cooked to yield a rich, glossy gravy.

Prep 20m
Temp 100°C
Cook 1h 50m
Rest 10m
Total 2h 20m
Yield 6
Stew with a wooden spoon in a pot on a wooden table | Cook & Keeper - Gulasz wieprzowy

Kitchen Kit

  • •Heavy Dutch Oven
  • •Chopping Board
  • •Wooden Spoon
Per serving:
415 kcal
10g Carbs
32g Protein
27g Fat

Ingredients

  • 1000 g Pork Shoulder
  • 30 g Plain Flour
  • 17 g Salt
  • 5 g Black Pepper
  • 30 g Lard
  • 300 g Brown Onion
  • 4 pcs Garlic cloves
  • 15 g Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 30 g Tomato Puree
  • 800 ml Water
  • 3 pcs Bay Leaves
  • 4 pcs Allspice Berries
  • 10 g Dried Marjoram

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Fridge up to 4 days. The sauce thickens considerably as it cools; reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water to loosen the gravy.
Meatball with red sauce on a wooden spoon on a rustic background | Cook & Keeper - Gulasz wieprzowy
  1. Trim any excessively hard fat from the pork shoulder, then chop the meat into roughly 3cm cubes. Tip the meat into a large bowl.
  2. Add the plain flour, 10g of the salt, and the black pepper to the bowl. Toss aggressively until every chunk of pork is evenly coated and tacky.
  3. Place a heavy-based Dutch oven or casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the pork lard and let it melt until shimmering.
  4. Sear the pork in batches. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of browning. Let it sit undisturbed until a hard crust forms, then flip. Remove the browned pork to a plate and set aside.
  5. Drop the heat to medium. Chuck the diced onions and minced garlic directly into the residual pork fat. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and translucent, scraping up any loose bits from the bottom.
  6. Tip in the sweet paprika and tomato purée. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw tomato flavour and toast the spices until the mixture turns a deep, brick red.
  7. Pour in the water to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to aggressively scrape the bottom of the pot, lifting all that deeply caramelised fond into the liquid. Bring to a rolling boil (this will take about 5-7 minutes).
  8. Return the seared pork and any resting juices to the pot. Toss in the bay leaves, bash the allspice berries lightly with the flat of your knife and chuck them in, followed by the dried marjoram and the remaining 7g of salt.
  9. Drop the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and leave to gently simmer for 75 minutes. The liquid should barely tick over.
  10. Remove the lid for the final 15 minutes of cooking. Let the stew bubble slightly harder to reduce the liquid, ensuring it coats the back of a spoon with a rich, glossy finish. Let it rest for 10 minutes off the heat before serving.

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The Polish Workhorse: A Masterclass in Gulasz

Forget everything you know about watery, vegetable-heavy stews. True Polish Gulasz Wieprzowy is a different beast entirely from its Hungarian cousin. It is an exercise in the slow, deliberate building of savoury depth. We’re taking humble, hardworking pork shoulder and transforming it through heat, time, and the holy trinity of Polish aromatics: sweet paprika, earthy marjoram, and a hit of allspice. This isn't just dinner; it's a cold-weather survival tactic, designed to be mopped up with crispy potato pancakes (placki ziemniaczane) or a mountain of fresh kopytka.

CHEF'S SECRET: The flour does double duty here. By dusting the raw pork before searing, you achieve a rapid, aggressive crust. Crucially, as that flour browns in the hot lard, it toasts, losing its raw cereal flavour and acting as the foundational thickening agent that gives the final gravy its signature glossy, mouth-coating texture. Do not rush the sear.

❖

The Fond is the Foundation

The magic of this dish happens entirely in the bottom of the pot. When you sear the pork, you'll leave behind a dark, gnarly layer of caramelised meat proteins and toasted flour—the fond. When the water hits that hot cast iron later in the method, you must aggressively scrape the bottom with a sturdy wooden spoon. That dark residue is pure, concentrated umami. Leave it stuck to the pan, and your gravy will lack its soul.