Segedínský Guláš (Pork & Sauerkraut Stew)

A shallow and ornate white bowl full of segedinsky gulas and tender pork shoulder pieces with sauerkraut.

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5 from 5 votes

Segedínský Guláš (Pork & Sauerkraut Stew)

Prep Time20

Cook Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: European

Servings:

Calories: 511kcal

Author: Jana Dziak

Ingredients

2 lbs pork shoulder cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup bacon diced small
4 large yellow onions
1 ½ cups sauerkraut plain, drained but not rinsed
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
2 tablespoons lard or oil/fat of choice
1 teaspoon caraway seeds crushed roughly
1 ½ tablespoons sweet paprika quality matters here
¼ cup flour all-purpose or gluten-free
1 quart beef bone broth
1 cup sour cream full fat, ccan be doubled as well if you prefer
salt & pepper to taste sauerkraut and bacon is salty, so do not add any until towards the end of cooking

Instructions

Prep your vegetables and meat. Have everything diced and chopped and ready for cooking. Sprinkle the pork with a tiny pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Have a large bowl beside the stove for the seared pork and bacon.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the diced bacon and render; it takes about 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set it aside. Do not drain the fat in the pot.
Add the lard into the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the pork in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Brown the pork on all sides with a nice sear. Remove the pork from the pot and set it aside with the bacon.
To the same pot, add the onions and sauté them until they turn translucent.
Add the crushed caraway seeds and minced garlic. Stir continuously for 60 seconds until fragrant. Add the flour and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the pork back in and the paprika. Add the beef broth. Add water or more stock if there is not enough liquid. It is okay if some of the pork is peeking out at the top.
Turn the heat up to high. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 45 minutes.
After the 45 minutes, add the bacon and sauerkraut. Cover and simmer again for 20 minutes more. After the time is up, uncover the pot. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Pierce a chunk of pork with a fork or knife; is it tender? If not, keep simmering, uncovered until it is falling apart. Check every 15 minutes.
Once done, remove the pot from the heat and taste for salt again; let it sit for 3-5 minutes before stirring in the sour cream slowly, one big spoon at a time, as you stir continuously to avoid breaking it.
Now, temper the sour cream: put the sour cream into a bowl and ladle hot broth very slowly into the bowl, stirring constantly with a fork. Add this hot-broth-sour-cream mixture back into the pot and simmer until the broth thickens to your liking. My photos show a thinner, more stew-like goulash, but it can thicken up and become a very rich gravy too. Try it both ways!
Serve with bread or bread dumplings, and enjoy.

Notes

Hint: The canned sauerkraut is perfectly fine to use in this recipe. No need to buy the expensive raw stuff since it will cooked anyways. If your sauerkraut has caraway seeds — do not add extra.

Substitutions & Variations

I have made this stew with multiple bone broths and even water with a stock cube. Homemade beef bone broth remains my favorite.
If you find the sauerkraut overpowering, rinse it briefly in cold water and drain before adding to the pot.
Do not make this with stewing beef. This is a pork recipe. If you want a similar recipe that can be made with beef, make my sauerkraut soup and use all beef or veal for the meatballs.

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating

Segedínský guláš will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator and should be stored in a covered container. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat, and add a splash of water or stock to the pot if necessary.

It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw in the refrigerator, and then gently reheat it.

Be very gentle when reheating and do not stir more than necessary.

Ingredient Substitution Notes

Pork Shoulder | Cut into bite-sized pieces. Pork shoulder is the best cut of meat for this stew and requires a long cooking time to become tender. Do not substitute it with lean pork as it will not tase the same.
Bacon | Look for European chunks of bacon and dice it yourself; strips are fine if you don't have access to that.
Beef Broth | Pork shoulder is so full of collagen that you can use water and bouillon cubes if you must. I've done it both ways, and both ways are delicious. You can also use vegetable, turkey, chicken, or chicken feet bone broth.
Sauerkraut | Drained but not rinsed. Look for plain varieties or use homemade. Canned is fine. You want European-style sauerkraut that is finely and thinly diced, and your local Euro delicatessen will absolutely carry several varieties.
Onions | I prefer yellow.
Fresh Garlic | Finely minced.
Lard | You can also use tallow or your own oil or fat of choice.
Caraway Seeds | Crushed. Optional. If your sauerkraut has these added — omit this.
Sweet Paprika | Find a high-quality Hungarian sweet paprika if possible, the taste difference is noticeable. I have also made this goulash with hot and smoked varieties, and the result is delicious.
Flour | all-purpose or gluten-free; you can omit it entirely if you wish, but it will help thicken the gravy.
Sour Cream | Full fat is best. This is stirred in right at the end of cooking.
Salt & Pepper | Remember that sauerkraut and bacon are salty. The broth may not require any additional salt, so do not put any until the end when the sauerkraut is added to simmer.

Nutrition