Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Irish Pork Stew with Baby Cabbage – What We Should Be Eating on St. Patrick’s Day

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that corned beef and cabbage is not authentic St. Patrick’s Day food. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants, fleeing the great potato famine, arrived in New York, and started hanging out in delicatessens that brisket became the cabbage-adjacent meat of choice.

I assume it was the potato knishes’ siren song that initially drew them in, but eventually they got hooked on the corned beef, and the rest is history. So, I decided to do a little mash-up (and mash-under), and this Irish pork stew with baby cabbage was the result. By the way, “baby cabbage” can be a little hard to find, but you can use Brussels sprouts, and no one will know the difference…mostly because there isn’t one.

You can cook them in the stew if you want, but the timing can be tricky, and trust me, you don’t want to eat “baby cabbage” that’s been cooked too long; no one does, So, I highly recommend blanching them first, and warming through at the end.

Since we are using Guinness, I will admit this isn’t a beginner’s stew. The stout gives a ton of flavor, but also a slightly bitter note, which some people do not enjoy. I balanced it with the balsamic vinegar and caraway seed, and it was absolutely wonderful, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

You can leave it out, use a lighter beer, or just splash in some extra stock. Anyway, if you’re looking for beautiful alternative to that traditional “authentic” St. Patrick’s Day meal, then I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 portions Irish Pork Stew:
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
2 generous tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon caraway seed
1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Draft or other dark beer
3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups chicken broth, more as needed
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
12 Brussels sprouts, halved, blanched
mashed potatoes to serve over

58 comments:

Unknown said...

you didn't mention how much brussels sprouts are in the recipe

Dain said...

This looks amazing Chef John! I can't wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for another great video
-Dain

Ed the house chef said...

Yum. I am looking forward to giving this a go. We'll be spending the next few years in the U.K. with a few trips to Ireland for authentic, authentic meals. Can't wait to compare this with that.

Anonymous said...

Where's the spuds? I love stout in stews...try gin in lamb stew or whiskey in beef stew too. Can't go wrong with a little booze.

Chef John said...

Thanks, Benny, fixed!

Chef John said...

Ed, Spoiler alert, my stuff won't be close to the authentic. ;)

PhillyBear said...

man, that looks fantastic!

GPLongwood said...

I've never blanched Brussells sprouts. Anything I need to know? The stew is cooking and the house smells amazing:-)

Unknown said...

Hi Chef

When I use that part of the hog, its to smoke for pulled or chopped pork. Part of my typical prep is to trim the false cap off. Does the stew render that much fat to make trimming it unnecessary?

GPLongwood said...

No joke. My wife and I concur that this was the best stew we're ever eaten. Thanks!

Yardog59 said...

This will be served on Monday. Looks incredible.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
oiacob said...

Hey chef john, whenever I braze pork or even make pork stew the broth always seems to be bitter. How could I fix that? Thanks

Chef John said...

Sorry, I've never heard of that before! Not sure.

Anonymous said...

I loves me some hog stew. A long time ago in Boston they used to ship those pork shoulders in a wooden keg called a butt. Thus...Boston Butt. I's got nothing to do with hog anatomy. Pork shoulder is one of the best cuts...imo! This looks mighty tasty Chef! I'll give it a try!

Phyllis Palmer said...

This was the BEST stew ever. Love the complexity of flavors and it was just delightful biting into the Brussel sprouts. Perfect combo. New family favorite!!

Leukoplasthea said...

Hi Chef John,

I really liked the background sounds from your cooking at the beginning of the video!! Please keep including them, it makes the video even more enjoyable to watch.

Greetings from Germany
Susanne

Unknown said...

Can I substitute the pork shoulder with pork tenderloin (or fillet), simply because right now I've got some cheap tenderloin available?

Unknown said...

Chef, I think Oiacob might be searing on too high a heat. If you take oil past it's smoke point it will impart a bitter flavor, even if it doesn't taste burned. Isn't that so?

Unknown said...

Chef John, I hate you so much right now, this pork stew was sooo good and smelled so delicious that I'm am miserable from eating WAY to much! Thanks for the great recipe! Was the hit of the week for me though I'm gonna have to try last years beef "irish stew" next week for comparison...

Jeff Boles said...

For the mashed potatoes with this stew I'm planning on following your Ultimate Mashed Potato recipe. You caution against using a hot gravy as it will cause the potatoes to, essentially, melt. I'm betting a warm stew will have much the same effect. If I dial back the butter to 3/4 a lb. of butter to 3 lbs. of potato, do you think I could avoid this potential issue?

Chef John said...

Would be fine I think!

Unknown said...

Tried it out tonight - oh my gosh! Had way to much celery (nevermind, I'm a celery lover) and only half the amount of pork, but I'm mainly craving for that delicious goodness of a sauce anyways... so yes, it turned out great.
Thanks, Chef :)

Unknown said...

I made this stew today and it was exceptionally good. Honestly one of the best I've ever had.

I'm sad to say this is the first time I've commented here. Your casual, entertaining style of teaching is a joy to watch. So glad that you teach people to cook with they eyes, mouth and heart, instead of blindly following 10 steps on a 3x5 notecard.

Unknown said...

We made this last night and served it over purple fingerling mashed potatoes. The color was a little unorthodox, but man did it taste good!

Chef John, you, sir, rock mightily. Every single one of your recipes we've made has been fantastic. Cheers! :)

Unknown said...

OK, I dunno were my comment went, just wanted to thank you for this fabulous recipe.

We had the stew last night... I only used half the amount of pork, but I'm mainly craving for that amazing goodness of a sauce anyways. So as you can imagine it turned out delicious! Like OMG delicious!

Love from Germany :)

Unknown said...

Can't wait to make this today. Waiting on the bottle of guiness. Chef why did u change ur voice? Whoever told u to do that, fire them lol.

Gayle said...

The house smells wonderful, I am counting on you Chef John to make me a rock star at work tomorrow. I am sure they will..Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Simmering now for tomorrow nights dinner!
I'll be drinking green beers after work, so I figured I should follow the directions and recipe while coherent!

Slainte!

Sobiama Recipes said...

Made this tonight! It was delicious!

Christiana C said...

Just served this stew to rave reviews! Truly delicious smelling all afternoon and well worth the wait! What a great combination of flavors! Now to decide which recipe to use for the other half shoulder we have...

B.B. said...

This was amazing. One change I made: Bone-in pork shoulder. Debone yourself and brown and braise with the bone. Discard with bay leaf. I did this because they didn't have boneless shoulder at the store but turned out perfect.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,
Looks delicious. Guinness makes a extra stout, and a draught beer. I'm assuming you used extra stout for this recipe? That's definitely the stronger of the 2.

Thanks

Chef John said...

As you'll read in the ingredients list, I'm recommending the draft!

Unknown said...

I roasted the sprouts in the oven ahead of time instead of blanching them. It turned out great!

Unknown said...

I was thrown off by the spelling, draft, and draught as it's spelled by Guinness. Thank you for clarifying for me. Also, I made this and it was exquisite. Didn't it find it too bitter or strong. Especially with the mashed potatoes.

Phyllis Palmer said...

Well yum yum yum. My new St. Patrick's Day tradition... no, wait... I can't wait that long to have it again...My new favorite STEW period!

Phyllis Palmer said...

Oh yeah... forgot to mention the Brussel sprouts... just AMAZING! Loved biting into perfectly cooked sprouts! What a TREAT!
And then over the mashed potatoes... heaven in a bowl!

Unknown said...

Oh boy, this is the second time it's happened. I followed your recipe on how much vinegar to use and I'm regretting it. Maybe it's an acquired taste because it's so overpowering to me... I grew up in a hungarian household that didn't use very much of it in our cooking.

Otherwise this turned out really well.. I guess? The meat is fork tender and all..

Chef John said...

Are you sure you're using balsamic vinegar? Because that's so mild I have trouble believing it was that strong!

Bonnie said...

So, this was amazing! Probably one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. I used a red onion and beef broth in place of the beer but everything else I did the same and oh boy was it good! Pure Guinness(genius) chef john! Lol :0)

Pablo Aponte said...

I just did it and it taste amazing!!! thank you for this wonderful recipe :)

Unknown said...

Hi Chef! I have watched, listened, and wrote things down! Will do some shopping tomorrow and can't wait to follow your cooking! Just want to clarify the title of the recipe says baby cabbage? I assume you meant baby brussel sprouts? Thanks!

Maricar
Brisbane, Australia

Chef John said...

Yes, I did! (See ingredient list) :). Enjoy!

timmo said...

if this stew doesn't make you love brussels sprouts then nothing will! just made this for the second time and i tried flashing off a shot of jack daniels just before i added the beer (the hair on my hand will grow back). it turned out very subtle but it added a little sweetness. i may have imagined the smokiness i tasted, or maybe i didn't since i dozed off and let it burn a bit in the pot! regardless, thank you for this and don't you stop. i know several tummies that are happier because of your work. good job!

Adrian said...

Ok I just finished making a this amazing recipe again. You are the man Chef John.

Tkdla said...

My household is no-alcohol, for reasons you would understand if I listed them. I know the alcohol would cook out of the stew but... Having never tasted stout, I'm not sure what to try as a substitute. Any suggestions? Don't worry - even with the no-alcohol thing, I have an amazingly happy life. You are one of the reasons for that. We have all benefited from your wonderful taste buds.

Chef John said...

There's no real substitute that will give you the same flavor, but there are several brands of nonalcoholic beer, which would get you close. Good luck!

KathiG said...

OMG! OMG! I made this stew last night. Followed the video exact, except for one small addition, 5-10 minutes before I added the blanched cabbages I added an 8oz. container of fresh sliced mushrooms. We love mushrooms and add them to most recipes. This was the most amazing stew. Flavorful, hearty and the caraway seeds gave a special flavor I've never had in a stew before. And of course we ladled the stew over mashed potatoes. Could I just say OMG one more time?! And I made the lemon bars from this sight as well for desert, they were amazing. They didn't look as well organized and square as Chef John's, but they were yummy just the same. This stew will be in my rotation of go to recipes for years to cone.

JtPandGED said...

Chef John - this recipe is amazing. Thank you so much for it, legendary stew. Made it a few times for family and friends and it is always a hit - they are always very impressed with the sophisticated flavor (presumably this is the caraway and Guinness). Can't thank you enough for this and what you do.

Unknown said...

Chef,

You consistently mention pouring back in the accumulated juices, but never give a real reason. Is there more elaboration you can give as to why it is so important?

Thanks,
Basheer

Daisiesbride said...

Can we skip the caraway seeds and use dry parsley?

KathiG said...

Oh goodness no. The caraway seeds give it a distinct flavor. I wouldn't recommend leaving them out. I've made the receive several times, we love it!

Christine Cullinan said...

I had to adapt a bit. I didn't have stout, balsamic vinegar or caraway seed, but I needed to make a basic pork stew with, yes, Brussels sprouts! My version was milder, I assume, but still very tasty, just more mellow.

Will try it with the ingredients Chef John mentions but I really appreciate the quality of the recipes. Baking aside, where proper ratios and such are always critical, whether I've done something exactly or had to change a few things (like, no stout in the house) the recipes come out well. Thanks, Chef John!

Also, I'd like to offer that I tried the dish again with really large Brussels sprouts. I think the smaller ones taste better and cook more evenly. Chef John, does their size matter?

Lilian said...

Chef john if i add potatoes instead of Brussels sprouts can I add it last & simmer until they are form tender? If so do I need to increase the quantity of stock or Guinness stout? Thanks. Am making this for a small dinner gathering in 2 days time hope u can reply me asap

Daniel J said...

Made this today, and we were all very satisfied with the flavor profile of this dish! Loved the caraway seeds, and was just the perfect amount to not overpower the dish.

Took 2.5 hours for the meat to be done, and I believe the long cooking time was because im cooking on induction with a pretty wide braiser. With lid on the heat can distribute more evenly.

Would I achieve the same results if I reduce the beer before adding stock, braise with lid on and eventually reduce it a bit the last 15 mins of cooking?

tkpoer said...

I've made this several times and we love it! We don't drink Guiness so I've used Shinerbock from Texas. The first time I prepared I thought there beer was overwhelming so since then I have only used 6-8 oz and finish up with broth. Otherwise I make exactly as written. You're the best! Thanks for all your recipes.

Organic Action said...

I am feeling utterly satiated as I finish eating this stew. Thank You Chef John. You changed my life one meal at a time. You helped me hook my hubby and people cue at the opportunity to eat at my table. I always give you the credit. I have never made a dud and every recipe comes out perfectly because your directions are so clear. I've been a fan long before you were picked up by All Recipes and I love watching the evolution of your skills as a videographer. Live forever will you? Shout out to Michelle...the luckiest wife in the world.