Czech Pork Goulash (Segedínský Guláš)
A rich, slow-braised Czech pork goulash (Segedínský Guláš): tender pork shoulder simmered in a paprika-spiced sauce with tangy sauerkraut, then finished with sour cream for a smooth, comforting, deeply savory stew.
Czech Pork Goulash in Poland, why not?!
What do you do in a Polish village in the middle of winter? Well, you make Czech Pork Goulash obviously!
Here is some background: you’re visiting your wife’s family in Poland: it’s 2 weeks after Christmas, 2 weeks before your daughter’s baptism and it just snowed in. Did I also mention you’re recovering from pneumonia? Antibiotics are done, but babcia will not let you go outside for another week under any circumstances anyways! You reach in the fridge to get your Pilsner Urquell, you see a jar of kapusta kiszona behind a leftover sałatka jarzynowa hiding in Winiary mayo jar, and you have an idea! Czech Pork Goulash that your Baba (this is how we would refer to my Czech grandmother) used to make, when you were a child!
Seriously, this is the “stick to your ribs” kinda food. Basically anything served with Houskové knedlíky – (Czech bread dumplings) would be that kinda food according to my Baba.
Will you be moving fast after this meal? Absolutely not and that’s the point. Think about it: what are you going to do outside? Shovel snow? As a Canadian, that actually sounds fun, but if Babcia is going to scold you later for not dressing warm enough – Forget that!
Look, stay inside, make a stew, listen to some disco polo and have a few pints of pilsner, you’ll be happy you did and so will your belly.
- Cook bacon slowly in a large pan until fat is released. Add a splash of water to help with rendering. Remove and set aside, keeping the rendered fat.
2. Cut the pork shoulder and brown lightly on all sides. Set aside.
3. Add onions and some salt to the bacon fat and cook slowly until soft and golden. This builds the base flavor.
4. Add the garlic, bay leaf and caraway seeds and cook slowly till the raw smell goes away. Don’t brown the garlic or it will be bitter.
5. Remove pot from the heat and stir in paprika. If it burns it will become bitter and ruin everything.
6. Add the meat and stock, mix, cover the pot and put in the oven at 300 f for 2.5 hours. Give it a quick stir once every hour, but try not to lose too much heat.
*Note* I did not put this particular pot into the oven because it had plastic handles. I was using what was available to me. Please use a Steel pot or Dutch Oven and don’t melt your handles!
7. Make and add the roux.
- Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted and gently bubbling, whisk in an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
- Stir constantly so it doesn’t burn. I like to use a spatula for this.
- Once it’s ready, you can whisk in a few cups of hot stock, simmer for a minute or 2, then add to the pot.
8. Stir in drained sauerkraut and cooked bacon and set back in the oven for the last 30 minutes.
9. Remove form the oven and cool for a few minutes uncovered and add 3 tbsp of sour cream and mix well. Do not boil after adding cream.
10. Check the consistency and add a splash of water if you feel it’s too thick.
Come watch the full recipe here!
Czech Pork Goulash (Segedínský Guláš)
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon slowly in a large pan until fat is released. Add a splash of water to help with rendering. Remove and set aside, keeping the rendered fat.
- Add pork shoulder and brown lightly on all sides. Set aside.
- Add onions and some salt to the bacon fat and cook slowly until soft and golden. This builds the base flavor.
- Add the garlic bay leaf and caraway seed and cook slowly till the raw smell goes away. Don't brown the garlic, If you brown it, it will be bitter.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in paprika. If it burns it will become bitter and ruin everything.
- Add the meat and stock, mix, cover and put in the oven at 300 f for 2.5 hours. Give it a quick stir once every hour, but try not to lose too much heat.
- Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted and gently bubbling, whisk in an equal amount of all-purpose flour.Stir constantly so it doesn’t burn or clump. I like to use a spatula for this.Once it’s ready, you can whisk in a few cups of hot stock, simmer for a minute or 2 then add to the pot.
- Stir in drained sauerkraut and cooked bacon and set back in the oven for the last 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 – 10 minutes uncovered and add 3 tbsp of sour cream and mix well. Do not boil after adding cream
- Check the consistency and add a splash for water if you feel it's too thick.
- Houskové knedlíky – Czech bread dumplings, crusty sourdough bread or boiled or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Overnight resting: This is a stew and like any stew leaving it overnight lets the flavours fully “marry,” meaning the paprika, pork, sauerkraut, and sour cream stop tasting separate and blend into a single, deeper, more balanced sauce as it rests and is reheated.
- Browning the meat: Properly searing the pork at the start is key because the Maillard reaction creates deep umami and roasted meat flavour that forms the foundation of the entire stew. Can you omit the browning and just toss it in? Sure, if you like the flavor of boiled pork, but that sounds pretty terrible doesn’t it?
What’s your favorite beer pairing for Segedínský guláš? I usually go for Pilsner Urquell or Kozel.
