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Czech pork goulash with sauerkraut served on a plate with sliced houskové knedlíky Czech bread dumplings
Carl @ Cracked Kitchen Window

Czech Pork Goulash (Segedínský Guláš)

A rich, slow-braised Czech pork goulash with sauerkraut, known as Segedínský Guláš. Tender pork simmers in a paprika-spiced sauce with tangy sauerkraut, then finished with sour cream for a smooth, comforting, deeply savory stew.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Central European, Czech
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat
  • 1 kg pork shoulder
  • 1 kg thick cut bacon or pork belly
Base
  • 3 large onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Lard As needed
Spices & Seasoning
  • 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 1 tbsp caraway seed roughly crush it with a mortar and pestle if you have one
  • 2 fresh bay leaves slightly torn, but kept whole
  • kosher salt To taste
Sauerkraut
  • 1 kg jar of sauerkraut If the sauerkraut is long, chop it into shorter strands.
Liquid
  • 1 liter chicken stock
Roux
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
To Finish
  • 3 tbsp sour cream

Method
 

Render the bacon
  1. 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.
Brown the pork
  1. Add pork shoulder and brown lightly on all sides. Set aside.
Cook onions
  1. Add onions and some salt to the bacon fat and cook slowly until soft and golden. This builds the base flavor.
Add garlic and caraway seed
  1. 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.
Add paprika (off heat)
  1. Remove pot from heat and stir in paprika. If it burns it will become bitter and ruin everything.
Build the stew
  1. 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.
Make and add the roux
  1. 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.
Last 30 minutes - add sauerkraut + bacon
  1. Stir in drained sauerkraut and cooked bacon and set back in the oven for the last 30 minutes.
Finish with sour cream
  1. 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 consistency
  1. Check the consistency and add a splash for water if you feel it's too thick.
Serve with
  1. 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?