Czech Pork Goulash Recipe

Here's an easy recipe for tasty Czech-style pork goulash. It is best with pork shoulder, with a hint of spice from sweet paprika and caraway seeds. Unlike slow-braised beef goulash, this pork version is ready in under an hour and a half and goes perfectly with pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Pork Recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings

Calories 253kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
3 medium onions peeled and finely chopped
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ Tablespoons pork lard (or canola / sunflower oil)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
water to cover the pork

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Cut 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder into 1 inch (2-3 cm) cubes. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Peel and finely chop 3 medium onions. Peel and mince 3 cloves garlic.
Heat the lard in a large, deep saucepan and fry the meat in it. If it releases its juices, that is fine. Let it simmer and wait until the meat cubes develop a golden crust on all sides. Remember to stir the meat. Once the pork is golden brown, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
In the same fat, sauté the onion over medium heat. If the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of water to loosen them. The onions should be sautéed within five minutes.
Return the meat to the fried onions, add 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder, and 1 Tablespoon tomato paste. Stir and sauté for a minute (do not stop stirring).
Cover the meat with water until it's about ¾ submerged. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer for just under an hour. The meat should be almost tender; you can test it with a fork.
Remove the lid and check the water level. If necessary, add some water until the meat is almost submerged. Stir, then 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 over low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid, stir the goulash, and add salt to taste. And we are done!

Notes

SERVING: The pork goulash is served warm and tastes best with pasta. The typical Czech pasta shape suitable for this type of goulash is elbows (Czech Kolínka). Goulash also pairs well with boiled potatoes, bread dumplings, or a slice of fresh bread.
If you like spicy goulash, you can add ½ teaspoon of hot paprika to the base. This will give the goulash a flavor close to that of the Czech pub goulashes (Hospodský guláš), which are often 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, which has a diameter of 11 inches (28 cm).
A rule of thumb: goulash that you leave to rest until the next day tastes even better!

Nutrition