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tender cooked pork shoulder chunks and soft red bell pepper pieces in thick rusty-red paprika gravy with a pale cream tint in a plain bowl, with no sweet potatoes, rice or garnish
Melissa Hart

Crockpot Pork Stew

Pork shoulder makes a tender paprika stew when it gets enough time to soften, while pork loin would mostly get drier on this schedule. Red peppers and caraway take the flavor in a different direction from sweet-potato or green-chile pork stew. Use sweet paprika for the full measured amount. A hot paprika swap would change the heat sharply, and smoked paprika alone can overwhelm the quieter flavor of the pork and peppers.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 9 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb boneless pork shoulder trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 red bell peppers cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds lightly crushed
  • 1 can 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 1/3 cup sour cream

Method
 

  1. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown pork in 2 batches for about 6 minutes each, transferring it to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Cook onion in the skillet for 4 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in garlic, paprika and caraway for 30 seconds, then immediately add broth and scrape up the browned bits.
  3. Pour the skillet mixture over the pork and add peppers and tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until pork reaches at least 145°F and is fully fork-tender, usually at a much higher temperature.
  4. Mix cornstarch with cold water and stir into the stew. Cover and cook on high for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly thickened.
  5. Switch off the heat. Mix sour cream with a little hot stew liquid in a small bowl, then fold it back into the pot and divide among 6 bowls.