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    Home » Main Dishes

    Czech Pork Goulash Recipe

    Published: Sep 12, 2021 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This is a simple recipe for a delicious Czech-style pork goulash. It tastes best made with pork shoulder, slightly spicy thanks to sweet paprika and caraway seeds. Unlike slow-braised beef goulash, the pork comes together in under an hour and a half and pairs great with pasta.

    pork goulash served with elbow pasta
    Table of Contents show
    About this Recipe
    Ingredients
    Instructions with Photos
    Serving
    Useful Tips
    Czech Pork Goulash Recipe

    About this Recipe

    It is an authentic recipe from the Czech Republic, where pork is very popular. In Czech, pork goulash is called "vepřový guláš", and the word "vepřové" means pork in English.

    The pork cubes are first browned, and then slowly cooked in an onion base. Typical spices include sweet paprika, ground pepper, caraway seeds, and garlic.

    Traditional Czech accompaniment is elbow pasta, possibly bread dumplings, or boiled potatoes.

    MY TIP: try out Szegedin Goulash with sauerkraut (tastes divine!)

    Ingredients

    Czech pork goulash ingredients.

    For the homemade pork goulash, we need:

    • Pork meat; pork shoulder in whole is a good option
    • Tomato paste; for better taste and color
    • Onions
    • Pepper; black, ground
    • Paprika; sweet, ground
    • Caraway seeds; whole
    • Garlic; crushed or pressed
    • Salt
    • Pork lard; possibly table oil, sunflower, or Canola
    • All-purpose flour; for thickening

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.


    Quick Instructions:

    1. Fry the salted and peppered pork cubes in lard, set aside.
    2. In the same fat, fry the onions.
    3. Return the meat to the onions, add tomato paste, ground paprika, caraway seeds, and crushed garlic.
    4. Stir and sauté for a minute.
    5. Cover with water and simmer for less than an hour.
    6. Dust with flour and simmer under the lid without stirring for a further 15 minutes.
    7. Serve the finished pork goulash with pasta.

    Instructions with Photos

    STEP 1: Cut the pork into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes—season with salt and pepper.

    STEP 2: Peel and finely chop the onion. Crush or press the garlic cloves.

    STEP 3: Heat the lard in a broader, higher-sided pan and fry the meat in it. If it releases its juices, it's okay. Let it simmer and wait until the meat cubes get a golden crust on all sides. Do not forget to stir the meat. Remove the roasted pork from the pan and set it aside.

    Making pork goulash - browning meat.

    STEP 4: In the same fat, fry the onion over medium heat. If the onions tend to stick to the bottom of the pan, baste them with a tablespoon of water. The onions should be sautéed within five minutes.

    Making pork goulash - sauteeing onions.

    STEP 5: Return the meat to the fried onions, add the caraway seeds, crushed garlic, ground paprika, and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for a minute (do not stop stirring).

    Adding spices to pork goulash.

    STEP 6: Cover with water until the meat is about ¾ submerged. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a minimum. Cover with a lid and simmer for just under an hour. The meat should be almost tender - test with a fork.

    Slow simmering of pork goulash.

    STEP 7: Add water to the pan so that the meat is almost submerged. Stir, bring to a boil. Dust the surface of the goulash with all-purpose flour using a sieve. Do not stir! Cover with a lid and let the flour steam inside the pot over low heat for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low again.

    Thicken of goulash.

    STEP 8: Remove the lid, stir the goulash and add salt to taste. And we are done!

    Serving

    The pork goulash is served warm; it tastes best with pasta. The typical Czech pasta shape suitable for this type of goulash is elbows.

    Pork goulash served with elbow pasta.

    Goulash also pairs well with boiled potatoes, bread dumplings, or a slice of fresh bread.

    Useful Tips

    • Do you like spicy goulash? Then add ½ teaspoon of hot paprika to the base. The flavor of the goulash will then be close to that of the Czech pub goulashes (hospodský guláš) that are usually served with a glass of draught beer.
    • Plain flour added at the end of cooking will thicken the goulash just enough. Make sure you sprinkle it evenly over the surface in a thin layer to prevent lumps from forming.
    • I made this pork goulash in a cast-iron pan with a lid diameter of 11 inches (28 cm).
    • A rule of thumb: goulash that you leave to rest until the next day tastes even better!

    More pork recipes:

    • Karbanátek – pork and beef burger
    • Roasted pork shoulder
    • Pork patties

    Recipe card

    Czech pork goulash recipe.

    Czech Pork Goulash Recipe

    This is a simple recipe for a delicious Czech-style pork goulash. It tastes best made with pork shoulder, slightly spicy thanks to sweet paprika and caraway seeds. The goulash comes together in under an hour and a half and pairs great with pasta.
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 353kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Pork Recipes

    Ingredients

    • 1 and ½ lbs (675 g) pork shoulder whole
    • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
    • 3 onions
    • ¼ tsp black pepper ground
    • 1 Tbsp sweet paprika ground
    • 1 tsp caraway seeds
    • 3 cloves of garlic
    • 1 and ½ tsp salt
    • 1 and ½ Tbsp pork lard or table oil, such as sunflower or Canola
    • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
    • water to cover the pork

    Instructions

    • Cut the pork into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes—season with salt and pepper.
    • Peel and finely chop the onion. Crush or press the garlic cloves.
    • Heat the lard in a broader, higher-sided pan and fry the meat in it. If it releases its juices, it's okay. Let it simmer and wait until the meat cubes get a golden crust on all sides. Do not forget to stir the meat. Remove the roasted pork from the pan and set it aside.
    • In the same fat, fry the onion over medium heat. If the onions tend to stick to the bottom of the pan, baste them with a tablespoon of water. The onions should be sautéed within five minutes.
    • Return the meat to the fried onions, add the caraway seeds, crushed garlic, ground paprika, and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for a minute (do not stop stirring).
    • Cover with water until the meat is about ¾ submerged. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a minimum. Cover with a lid and simmer for just under an hour. The meat should be almost tender - test with a fork.
    • Add water to the pan so that the meat is almost submerged. Stir, bring to a boil. Dust the surface of the goulash with all-purpose flour using a sieve. Do not stir! Cover with a lid and let the flour steam inside the pot over low heat for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low again.
    • Remove the lid, stir the goulash and add salt to taste. And we are done!

    Notes

    • SERVING: The pork goulash is served warm; it tastes best with pasta. The typical Czech pasta shape suitable for this type of goulash is elbows. Goulash also pairs well with boiled potatoes, bread dumplings, or a slice of fresh bread.
    • Do you like spicy goulash? Then add ½ teaspoon of hot paprika to the base. The flavor of the goulash will then be close to that of the Czech pub goulashes (hospodský guláš) that are usually served with a glass of draught beer.
    • Plain flour added at the end of cooking will thicken the goulash just enough. Make sure you sprinkle it evenly over the surface in a thin layer to prevent lumps from forming.
    • I made this pork goulash in a cast-iron pan with a lid diameter of 11 inches (28 cm).
    • A rule of thumb: goulash that you leave to rest until the next day tastes even better!

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 353kcal
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dashka

      October 18, 2021 at 2:18 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this turns out perfect ????Even my husband is asking me if I wanna open a Czech restaurant in Canada ????

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        October 18, 2021 at 3:41 pm

        Oh, what a lovely comment! If you open that Czech restaurant in Canada, can I get a (small) special discount? I promise to be a loyal regular! ????

        Reply
        • Dashka

          October 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm

          5 stars
          I will be honored to have you ! If I ever open one ????

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská

            October 23, 2021 at 5:02 am

            ???? Either way, let me know!

            Reply
    2. Elisabeth

      January 25, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      this was delicious made with country style pork ribs. I served it with bought Spaetzle. I had three meals, my husband two. Will definitely make again.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 27, 2022 at 10:23 am

        Thank you, Elisabeth, for your nice words! And of course, I am happy you and your husband enjoyed the meal 🙂 (Spaetzle is a good option for any goulash recipe!)

        Reply
    3. Gregorova Knight Jana

      January 29, 2022 at 4:51 pm

      I always make the gulash with ratio : the same amount of meat=same amount of onion -that way you don’t have use any flour it is thickening by just juice from onion.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 29, 2022 at 5:02 pm

        Thank you for your comment! The 1:1 ratio (meat and onion) applies more to beef goulash. Pork is done in a third of the time than beef, the onions wouldn't cook as quickly and remain still solid. Therefore, a little flour is added to thicken pork goulash. All the best, Petra

        Reply
    4. Kisa

      February 06, 2022 at 11:44 am

      hi! i live in czech republic and made htis for my czech husband and he was quite happy. i will try more of your recipes. have a lovely day 🙂

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 07, 2022 at 8:05 am

        Oh, ahoj Kisa! 🙂 I hope you enjoy your stay in the Czech Republic and like the country! Thank you for your comment and if I could help with anything around Czech food, feel free and get in touch!

        Reply
    5. Adam

      March 09, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      4 stars
      Turned out good, but not great. I think I could do a better attempt next time by browning the meat more, adding a little more salt, and maybe a bit more paprika.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        March 16, 2022 at 5:32 am

        Ahoj Adam, thank you for your feedback. The taste of goulash is always about playing with the exact proportions of spices. Some people like it spicier, others less. I believe that next time you will discover the right combination and amount of salt/pepper/paprika to make the goulash taste exactly as you like!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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