Slow Cooker Pork Stew
Thick and creamy pork stew made easily right in the slow cooker. The perfect comfort food served all on its own or with biscuits.
Alright, so I’ve had a pork shoulder sitting in my freezer for like, a month.
Okay, maybe two months, to be honest.
Three tops.
For crying out loud, it’s probably been in there for like 6 months, I honestly have no idea. Basically, this Sunday, my internal clock told me that I’d have to use this gosh darn pork meat now or never. (Yeah man. I have an internal clock for frozen pieces of pork.)
How long does pork last in the freezer?
- Cooked or uncooked pork can last in the freezer for 6-8 months.
…Okay. So I was still safe. But it was now or never and I knew it.
I wasn’t really in the mood for experimentation, so I decided to turn to my trusty stand-by stew recipe. Also known as my crock pot creamy chicken stew. (It’s one of my most popular recipes on the blog, ever.) But in this case, I was going to use my trusty pork shoulder instead of chicken. You have probably gathered that by now. So I chucked the necessities into my new Crock Pot (that you can actually put on the stovetop to sear things before you slow cook), and I called it a day. It was time to do something fun and wait for dinner to cook itself.
What cut of pork meat is best for stew?
- Pork Shoulders are the best for slow cooking and for putting in stews.
- Pork Belly can be used in stews, but given it’s high fat content, strip some of the extra fat away first.
- Pork Cheek can also be used and is good for slow cooking. (It’s an underrated cut and very inexpensive.)
See this recipe in action! (With chicken)
- 1.5 lb. uncooked pork shoulder cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 red potatoes cut into quarters
- 1 cup baby carrots halved
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup whole milk*
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 oz. packet dry ranch dressing mix
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Parsley flakes
- Melt the butter on the bottom of the crock pot.
- Add all of the vegetables on top and stir to coat with the butter.
- Salt/Pepper the diced pork as desired and add to the crock pot.
- Mix together the soup, milk, sour cream and ranch dressing mix. Temper the mixture by heating it for 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Pour the mixture on top of the pork.
- Cover the crock pot and cook on low for approximately 6-8 hours**, or until the potatoes are soft and pork is cooked through. Low and slow is the best with milk and dairy products.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve, (preferably with biscuits!)
Would you cook the pork whole then cut it up or cut it before you place it in the crock pot?
Hey Nat! I would cut the uncooked pork into cubes before adding it to the Crock Pot! 🙂
cool! thanks so much ill let you know how it goes😊
I like how the first mention of bacon is literally in step 7. No where in the ingredients does it say bacon.
Hi Jared, you can disregard that mention of bacon, that got carried over from the chicken stew that I make, which I garnish with bacon. I dont garnish the pork version with it though.
I’ve made this twice and I love it! Both times, I used 2% milk instead of whole milk and the second time I made it, I cooked it on HIGH for 4 hours instead of LOW. I’ve also found that thick center-cut chops, cut into bite-sized pieces, cook up very nicely in the slow cooker. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Hi Suzanne! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this Pork Stew!!! 🙂 That totally makes my day. Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment! 🙂