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With the cooler weather here and leaves starting to fall off the trees – it’s all about the comfort food! Our Autumn Pork Stew is the perfect thing to serve on a cool Fall evening!
This delicious stew also takes advantage of fresh produce found at the supermarket this time of the year – like apples, butternut squash, carrots and potatoes. And, what makes this stew a little different from others is that it is thickened by using apples and apple sauce in the broth, rather than a roux made from butter and flour.
Chunks of pork are seared until golden brown along with bacon, onions and garlic – then cooked with carrots, apples, apple sauce and chicken stock for two hours on the stovetop until the meat is super tender. Then the Autumn Pork Stew is finished by adding in chunks of butternut squash and new red potatoes.
The pork, apples and fall vegetables are a perfect flavor pairing. This wonderful Autumn Pork Stew is comfort food at its best!
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Autumn Pork Stew
Note: The apples disintegrate into the stew so don’t worry how you cut them.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon, diced
- 2 cups onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
- 3–4 pound pork butt, cut into two-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups white wine
- 1/2 pound carrots
- 2 Gala apples cored, skins left on and cut up into chunks (or any hard apple but not Granny Smith) *See note
- 2 cups any jarred apple sauce (sweetened or unsweetened – doesn’t matter)
- 2 14.5–ounce cans chicken stock, divided
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pound new red potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, place olive oil and bacon and cook over medium high for 8-10 minutes until the bacon is crispy.
- Add the onions and lower heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and cook for one minute.
- With a slotted spoon or spider, remove bacon and onion mixture to a large bowl.
- Lay pork pieces out and salt and pepper both sides.
- Heat the pot with the bacon fat to medium high and once hot, sear meat in three or four batches. Do not over crowd pan and sear each side for three to four minutes. Remove to bowl with bacon and onions as you sear each batch. The searing process should take 30-40 minutes total. Don’t rush this step; just make sure each piece is nice and golden brown.
- Once the last batch is done, pour the bowl back in the pot and add the white wine. Stir to get all brown bits from bottom of pot.
- Add carrots, apples, apple sauce, one can of stock and bay leaves. Bring to boil, lower to a simmer, and place cover partially on. Simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.
- After two hours, add second can of stock and the potatoes and bring to a rolling simmer. Cook five minutes then add squash and cook for an additional 15 minutes. (Be careful at this point as the mixture will be thick and if not watched, may stick and burn). The pork is very tender so as you stir, try not to break the meat up too much.
- Once the potatoes and squash are cooked, serve stew in bowls.
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You may also like:
Fall Harvest Vegetarian Corn and Butternut Chowder
Blue Hubbard Squash and White Bean Soup
Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup
This is very good, I’m also going to make it for winter dinner’s.
Sounds like a perfect choice for a winter dinner!
Absolutely delicious. My 2nd pot is on the stove now simmering away.
So glad you enjoyed the stew Linda!
Always a go-to recipe for Fall family gatherings! A very delicious and hearty meal. I serve this in sour dough bread bowls on occasion, a wonderful meal!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Cecelia!
Must try this. Love pork Roast
Hope you enjoy the stew Janice!
I don’t usually leave comments, but I had to tell you that I really liked this stew. It turned out very well and had a unique taste. I cook a lot and it’s nice to have something different. I’m very happy that you shared this dish with us.
Thanks so much Annie – we appreciate you taking the time to write to us and we’re so glad you enjoyed the stew!
I love pork stews and I always cook them in my crock pot. Generally with a large pork roast I cook it on high for 6 hours then turn it down to low for 1-2 hours (checking to see if the potatoes, carrots & squash are tender. Flavors are wonderful. My comment is that I used cubed frozen butternut squash & I added it the last hour. So simple. So delicious.
Thanks Ce Ce!
I love making and eating this stew. Going to have a SMALL get together at the end of this month centered around it. The flavors scream fall, the pork, apples, squash, and potatoes melt in your mouth. It takes time but fun to make and so worth it.
Thanks Brittini – So glad you enjoy the recipe!
This was absolutely delicious! I added about a tablespoon of chopped sage when I put the squash in. The flavors came together so well, and it had a deep rich flavor that was balanced out by the brightness of the white wine and the subtle sweetness of the apple. The pork was SO tender and the fatty bits of the meat just melted in my mouth. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be back for more!
WOW – thanks Lauren – So glad you enjoyed the recipe!