January 22, 2023Grey

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Pork Stew

A Pork Stew For Any Day Of The Week–Yes, It Can Be Done!

Hello friends!

I don’t know about you all, but gloomy and grey days here in the Midwest always have me craving a nice warm, and comforting meal. Most recently, I’ve been craving stew. I’ve looked through plenty of recipes until I came across a pork stew. Initially, it was going to be made on Sunday, so that I could take my time and carefully review it. Well, the protein I needed for the original recipe wasn’t available at two stores, so I had to move my cooking day and change the recipe I was using altogether. Thank you to my dear husband for going out on Monday to get the pork shoulder I needed!

The main difference in the recipes I chose is the cooking method. Rather than using the dutch oven, I used the slow cooker. Regardless, both recipes were made gluten-free using the substitute of gluten-free flour (:. Super simple!

So, let us get started. This week we’re checking out a recipe for a Slow Cooker Pork Stew by Sweet and Savory Meals. You can find the recipe right -> here!

How Much Prep Is Needed For The Pork Stew?

Great question! Even when you’re using a slow cooker, there are still recipes that call for a little more prep. I mean, you’re not going to just dump an entire carrot and onion into the slow cooker and call it a day. You have some peeling, chopping, and dicing that needs to happen first.

I timed this, actually. After waking up at 7 AM and feeding the cat, I got to work immediately as I start work at 8 AM. So, did this get done in time? Yes. Was I cutting it close? Eh? Everything was ready in the slow cooker by 7:50 AM. Needless to say, I really wish I had more pictures of the entire process, but I was rushing to get this in the slow cooker!

I had to add on about 5-10 minutes as I was working with a larger piece of meat that needed to be trimmed and cut. I had a cut of pork shoulder to work with for this recipe. As a recommendation–if you’re using pork shoulder, please do trim off the large chunks of fat. Don’t use a super lean cut of meat, but if you can trim off the large piece of fat–it’s going to make a difference.

Okay, back to timing for this pork stew.

Yes, while you prep the meat and begin the browning process, make sure you use this time to prep the remaining ingredients. You know, peel, chop, dice–all of that. This will help make this phase a steady process.

Can you save even more time by prepping the veggies the night prior? Sure!! The only ingredient that I wouldn’t prep the night before is the potatoes. Best to peel and dice right as they are about to go into the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Pork Stew

The Flavor Of The Pork Stew

After a long day of work and the crescendoing aroma of the stew in the kitchen, it was really nice to finally sit down and try it. It’s not often that I make a stew, and especially a pork stew. This felt even more special–different.

When you think of stews, you think hearty, comforting, warm. This is it.

This pork stew is so flavorful. You get the bit of red wine flavor, the stewed onions, the super, SUPER tender pork, and perfectly cooked potatoes. Not too soft, not too tough. Just right.

The stew is pretty thin once it is close to being done, so I would agree with the use of the corn starch slurry to thicken it up. Stews for me always had to be a bit thicker. I don’t know, just feels more hearty when it’s like that, but if you prefer not to add it, then this pork stew will be a more soupy consistency. Nothing wrong with that at all!

When it comes to the seasoning–I think it’s right on. Pork itself has a good flavor and the browning done at the start of the day really does make a difference. Then all the veggies that are included along with the hint of red wine flavor really keep adding onto the layers. Before serving, as always, I always urge you all to taste your food to see if it needs some more salt and/or pepper.

When it comes to texture and color, I would wait to put in the frozen peas until the end. As pictured on the recipe card, the peas look a nice vibrant green. Mine were a deep green. Frozen peas thaw quickly, so if you put them in right before serving and wait about 5-10 minutes, then you’ll definitely get that vibrant shade versus the dark mushy pea look. Not my favorite texture.

pork stew

Grey’s Grade: 4/5

Overall, this pork stew was really good, but could it be made better? Yes.

I think the recipe for this pork stew is extremely easy to follow. All the photos I take are without filters and without any editing. While there are colors that pop a bit (the carrot, mainly), it does just look like a stew. At the time of serving, the parsley (or green onions that I had on hand that day) make the stew pop. I mean, it’s not shocking. Veggies, meat, and broth have been slow cooking for almost 8 hours so their vibrant colors have faded into the flavor. It’s just difficult to picture stew without it looking like a bland mess.

Don’t let that stop you from trying these recipes, especially this one!

Aside from color, I would make one recommendation for this pork stew and that is to put the frozen peas in last rather than at the start of the cook. Everything else is so tender once done and I think the stew would benefit from that pop of color from the peas.

Would I make this again? Sure! I really enjoyed making it and eating it. It really satisfied the craving for a stew and it was much different than the typical beef stew I was used to. It was an absolutely welcomed change.

What’s your favorite comforting meal that you make? Let me know down in the comments below!

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