It’s time to kiss boring and bland stew recipes good-bye! This Best-Ever Braised Pork Stew is absolutely packed with rich flavor thanks to a few simple secret ingredients. Dried ancho chiles, garlic, loads of onions, and lime juice make this a fantastic hearty stew or enjoy the meltingly tender pork in tacos.
Recipe first published January 28, 2010. Last updated with clearer instructions, April 25, 2024.
This pork stew recipe is inspired by famous Mexican dishes like pozole and menudo. It has the smoky kick of dried chiles and the tang of fresh lime juice, but not as thick as an American stew.
I’ve been making this pork shoulder recipe for years because I just can’t get enough—I know you’re going to love it too!
This pork stew is one of those great family recipes I came up with when we lived in frigid North Dakota and constantly needed something to warm our bones.
Back then, as a family of four on a single income, I especially appreciated being able to stretch a budget-friendly pot of stew into satisfying meals for the entire week.
To this day, it remains one of my favorite pork recipes due to its seriously deep, rich flavor. I’m telling you, you’ll never taste a pork stew as bold and flavorful as this one!
This incredible flavor comes from a couple of simple tweaks and additions to traditional meat stews.
Pork shoulder is super flavorful and adds so much richness. Dried ancho chiles, simple aromatics like onions, garlic, and carrots, and warm spices like ground cloves infuse even more bold flavor into the soup as it simmers. Then the final generous squeeze of lime juice and a couple handfuls of chopped cilantro seals the deal.
Best of all, this hearty pork stew with chiles is a minimum effort-maximum reward recipe.
It’s super easy to make and it’s especially meal prep-friendly. It’s the perfect cozy, flavorful, & filling meal. You’re going to LOVE it!
This Braised Pork Stew Is:
- A Multi-purpose dish: Serve the stew with cornbread or over steamed jasmine rice or mashed potatoes or tuck the succulent pork into warm tortillas and make tacos.
- Rich and flavorful: The key to comforting soups like this braised pork stew is to build layers of flavor in every step. We start with browning the pork shoulder as a base of flavor, then use onions, garlic, carrots, and dried chiles. It’s anything but bland!
- Warm and comforting: Serves this as a cozy antidote to a long, hard day. It is comforting any time of year.
- Intense but not spicy: The ancho chiles offer light to medium heat with a slightly smoky, fruity flavor. If you’d like a spicier stew also add a few arbol chiles.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Boneless pork shoulder or pork butt (also sometimes labeled Boston butt).
- White onion should be your go-to onion for Mexican food.
- Garlic cloves for a solid flavor foundation.
- Carrots add sweetness and texture.
- Dried ancho chile peppers these are subtle, not spicy, dried chiles. Dried ancho chiles are the dried version of poblano peppers.
- Bay leaves give the stew a delicate anise touch.
- Ground cloves. This may seem odd, but it really does make it the best stew.
- Lime juice for brightness and tang.
- Kosher salt. I always use Morton kosher salt unless otherwise noted.
- Chicken broth used store-bought or homemade.
- Canned diced tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes when in season.
- Cilantro for that perfect finishing touch.
- Coarse ground black pepper. For seasoning the pork.
How To Make The BEST Braised Pork Stew
step one
Brown the pork. Just like we do for braised beef tacos, start by adding the pieces of boneless pork shoulder to a couple tablespoons of hot oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat.
Cook, turning occasionally, browning the pork so a nice golden crust is formed on the outside. Don’t crowd the pan, you may have to do this in batches. Once browned, transfer the pork pieces to a plate, but be sure to leave all of that delicious fat in the bottom of the pan! Repeat with remaining pork chunks.
step two
Cook the aromatics. Use the rendered pork fat at the bottom of the pan to cook our vegetables (flavor boost!). Toss in your onion and carrots. Once the veggies begin to soften, add the secret ingredients: the garlic, bay leaf, dried chili, and ground cloves. Season everything with a pinch of salt.
*CHEF’S TIP: Use a pair of scissors to cut the dried chiles into thin slices.
step three
Simmer. Now it’s time to braise! Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pot. Pour some diced tomatoes, fresh lime juice, and chicken stock into the Dutch oven, stir to combine, and let everything come to a boil. Once it’s boiling, cover and reduce to low heat. Let cook at a low simmer until the pork is fork tender. This will take a 3-4 hours.
*CHEF’S TIP: The cooking process isn’t difficult but requires a long simmer. Plan ahead to give yourself enough time for the pork to get tender. Alternatively, this could be easily made in a slow cooker and let simmer all day. Or, you could make it a couple of days in advance and reheat when you want to serve.
step four
Serve! Sprinkle with chopped cilantro (or substitute parsley if you’re not a cilantro fan), and serve.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat the next day on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave until warmed through.
Serving Braised Pork Stew
For serving, keep things simple. You want the flavors from the stew to shine. A good handful of chopped cilantro and a nice squeeze of lime make excellent final touches. If you want to make tacos out of the tender pork meat, serve with warm corn or flour tortillas, ripe avocado, and your favorite salsa. Serve the broth in cups or little bowls on the side for dipping.
Top 5 Most Popular Mexican Stew Recipes
- Vegan Pozole Verde
- Chicken Tomatillo Stew
- Chicken Chile with White Beans and Hominy
- Instant Pot Pork Chili Verde with Cheese
- Pozole Rojo de Pollo {Red Chicken Pozole}
This Braised Pork Stew Is Going To Be A New Family Favorite
The tender pork roast, the depth of flavor, the flavorful sauce you are going to love every bite!
Braised Pork and Chile Stew Recipe
A warming stew with the kick of dried chiles, tender carrots, and big hunks of braised pork shoulder. Dairy free!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large white onion, medium dice
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch long pieces
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into very thin strips with scissors
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch ground cloves
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, quartered
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season pork on all sides with the 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add half of the pork and let brown on all sides until a nice golden crust forms, about 10 minutes, total. Remove pork from pot with tongs or a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining pork.
- Add the chopped onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 chopped carrots and season again with salt. Let vegetables brown in the rendered pork fat until soft and starting to brown.
- Now add the 3 chiles, 2 bay leaves, pinch of cloves, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 4 cups broth and 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes. Return the pork and any accumulated juice to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cook, covered until pork is tender, about 3 hours. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary, stir in cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Fresh vs. Canned Tomatoes: Use 3 fresh, ripe tomatoes, instead of the canned when in season for extra sweetness.
- Serving suggestions: Serve as a stew with cornbread, over rice, or shred the pork for tacos!
- Dried Chiles: Ancho chiles offer mild warmth. For a spicier stew, add 1-2 chipotles in adobo, or a teaspoon of your favorite chili powder.
- Make-Ahead: This stew tastes even better the next day! Make it ahead and reheat before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 31g
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