Hi all! I'm tired of buying tasteless stew in stores, made from unknown ingredients. Therefore, I decided to master its preparation at home and I also want to share the recipes with you.
I suggest cooking stewed pork. Although, of course, all the described options are also suitable for beef, lamb and other meats. The main thing is that the end result will be very tasty, aromatic and soft.
There are no special tricks here, everything is done quite simply, no more complicated than jellied meat. And it can be stored for quite a long time in a cold place and will always help out if you need to whip up dinner.
Advice! Whatever recipe you choose, you need to use coarse, non-iodized salt.
Stewed pork at home - recipe in a saucepan
A fairly simple and quick recipe compared to other suggested options. From this amount of ingredients, a little less than 3 liters of the finished product is obtained. It is most convenient to put the stew into 0.5 liter jars, that is, just for one use. For example, for soup or mixed with vegetables.
Ingredients:
- Pork (pulp) - 3 kg
- Lard - 300 gr
- Salt - 2 teaspoons per 1 kg of meat
- Ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Preparation:
1. Cut the pork meat into large pieces. Cut off the skin of the lard; it is not needed. And cut its pulp into small cubes.
2. Set the lard aside for now. Place the meat in a deep container and add salt at the rate of 2 tablespoons of salt per 1 kg. Add black pepper and mix well. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
3. Take a saucepan with a thick bottom and walls, put it on the fire and heat it well. Then put pieces of lard there. Fry until all the fat has been rendered, stirring occasionally.
4. Now add the meat there. Stirring, bring the released fat and juice to a boil, and lightly fry until white.
5. Next, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours. After 1 hour, open the lid and stir. There is no need to open the lid any more so that steam does not escape and liquid, which should be released quite a lot, does not evaporate.
6. Fill clean jars with the prepared meat, lightly tamping it down. Then pour the released juice into each jar to the very top. Cover them with lids without wrapping them.
7. Take a wide saucepan, place a cloth napkin or cloth on the bottom and place the filled jars in it. Fill with hot water up to the shoulders.
Place the pan on the fire and bring to a boil. Then turn it down so that the water barely boils and sterilize the jars for 35 minutes (0.5 liter). If you have 1 liter bottles, then you need 60 minutes.
8. After this, carefully remove the jars and roll up the lids. Then wrap them well in a warm blanket and leave until completely cool. The finished stew can be stored for up to 6 months in a cold place.
Beef stew
Ingredients for beef stew:
- pulp without bones - 2.5 kg;
- butter for frying – 300 gr.;
- water – 1.5 liters;
- salt, pepper, bay leaf.
- Cut the pulp into small pieces. Fry in a frying pan over medium heat until golden brown.
- Prepare the brine: bring water to a boil with salt, pepper and bay.
- Add brine to the frying pan. Simmer over low heat with a divider under a closed lid for 2.5 hours.
- At this time, we sterilize the containers and lids.
- After 2.5 hours, place the finished product in hot jars and roll up.
Homemade pork stew in the oven
You may find it more convenient to cook pork stew in the oven. This process also does not represent any complexity and special control. And the meat turns out very tasty and soft.
Ingredients:
- Pork – 1.5 kg
- Lard - 500 gr
- Bay leaf - 4 pcs.
- Allspice peas - 8 pcs.
- Salt - 1 tablespoon (or to taste)
- Ground black pepper - to taste
Preparation:
1. Rinse the pork meat well and dry. Cut it into medium pieces, removing excess veins. There is no need to trim the fat from it. Season with salt and pepper and leave to soak for 20-30 minutes.
2. Place 1 bay leaf and 2 allspice peas on the bottom of the jars. Then lay out the meat. There is no need to compact it strongly. Lay it so that there is 2-3 cm left to the top.
3. Cover the jars with lids, but do not screw them on. Place them in a cold oven on a rack. Place a baking sheet with cold water down under the wire rack.
4. Next, turn on the oven to 250 degrees and bring the meat to a boil. After this, reduce the power to 150 degrees and leave for 3 hours. Then remove the jars from the oven and remove the lids.
5. While the pork reaches the desired state, let's make lard. Cut off its skin and cut into small pieces. Next, heat the frying pan thoroughly and place the pieces there.
6. Fry, stirring well. All the fat should be rendered out of the lard, and the pieces themselves should reach the state of cracklings. Remove the cracklings and use as you wish.
7. While the meat was cooking in the oven, it softened and settled. Therefore, transfer the pieces of pork from one jar to the remaining ones, pour in the juice and fat released from the lard.
8. Then screw the lids tightly, check for leaks by turning them over and leave the stew to cool at room temperature. After cooling, store in the refrigerator.
Principles of making homemade stew
- To prepare stew at home, the meat must be fresh. Frozen fillets have lower taste qualities.
- Before cooking, the meat should be thoroughly washed and removed from film and tendons.
- The fattier the meat, the smaller the pieces are cut.
- Before storing, jars are sterilized for at least 30 minutes. In the oven or microwave, 10 minutes is enough.
- It is recommended to boil metal lids for 5 minutes in advance. It is advisable to lubricate the inner surface with fat. This will help protect the contents from rust and mold.
- For any stew recipe, the optimal container volume is no more than 1 liter.
Recipe for homemade pork stew in a slow cooker
I have prepared an option specifically for multicooker users. This recipe uses 3 700 ml jars. They fit wonderfully into a home helper's bowl.
Ingredients:
- Pork – 1.5 kg
- Bay leaf
- Salt - 1 tablespoon (or to taste)
- Allspice
- Water - 100 ml for each jar
Preparation:
1. Wash and dry the pork. Cut into medium portions and add salt. Stir and leave for a while (15-30 minutes). Then place a bay leaf and a few allspice peas on the bottom of the jars. Place the meat on top and pour in water.
2. Place a Teflon mat on the bottom of the multicooker bowl and place the jars. Then pour water into the bowl so that the jars are half to 2/3 covered with water.
If you don't have a Teflon mat, you can use parchment paper.
3. Close the multicooker lid and set the “quenching” mode for 6 hours. If you have a pressure cooker, then 2 hours will be enough for you. After the program has completed, carefully remove the jars from the bowl and roll up the lids. Leave to cool at room temperature. After cooling, store in a cool place until required.
Step-by-step recipe for pork stew with chickpeas in jars
Here is another masterpiece recipe. Such a stew can be a completely independent snack. It turns out incredibly tasty. When serving, sprinkle it with fresh herbs. It can also be wrapped in pita bread. The broth can be served with crackers and herbs, preheated in the microwave. I highly recommend you try this option.
Chickpeas should be soaked in advance so that they swell and become soft. It is advisable to keep it in water overnight.
Ingredients (for 5 liter jars):
- Pork (pulp) – 4 kg
- Pork on the bone (for broth) - 0.5 kg
- Water (for broth) - 2 liters
- Chickpeas - 400 gr
- Onions - 1-2 pcs.
- Bay leaf - 5 pcs.
- Black peppercorns - 25 pcs.
- Salt - 2.5-3 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper - to taste
Preparation:
1. Cut clean and dried meat into large pieces, cutting off fatty areas (fat). Place the pulp in a deep container and set aside the lard for now. Salt, pepper and mix thoroughly. Let the pork sit and soak for a while, about 15-30 minutes.
2. Take clean jars and fill them 1/3 full with chickpeas. Then place the pieces of meat tightly to the top and cover with onions cut into small cubes. Also place 1 bay leaf and 5 black peppercorns on top. Place pieces of lard on the very top.
3. Place a cloth cloth on the bottom of a large, wide pan. Then place the filled jars there and cover them with lids. Pour in water so that it covers the container up to the shoulders. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 hours.
4. Place the pork on the bones in another pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and simmer over low heat for at least 4 hours, maybe a little longer. 30 minutes before the end of cooking, add 2 teaspoons of salt (or to taste) and stir.
5. When the required time has passed, carefully remove the jars from the pan and pour broth into them to the very top. Then roll up the lids tightly, cover with a blanket and leave until completely cool (no need to turn over). Then put the stew in a cool place for storage.
Features of stewing meat
In a slow cooker
The secret to preparing high-quality stew in a slow cooker for the winter is knowing the specifics of each mode. Each brand has its own functionality. Study the functionality and choose at least two modes that best correspond to the level of “simmering” and “quenching”.
In an autoclave
- It is not recommended to remove the preserved food from the autoclave until it has completely cooled. Due to a sharp change in temperature, the lid may swell.
- Use only high-quality raw materials for canning in an autoclave. Frozen or low-quality meat products may have fibers that fall apart into a mushy state in an autoclave.
- Keep the pressure stable throughout the entire process.
- Tighten the nuts thoroughly before turning them on.
In the oven
- Do not put jars in a hot oven - they will burst.
- Gradually raising, bring the temperature to 180°. Then reduce to 150° and cook for at least 3 hours.
In a water bath
- Be sure to cover the bottom of the pan with a cotton napkin folded in 2-3 layers. This will protect the contents from burning.
- The water level in the pan should be 1 cm below the neck of the jar.
Video on how to cook pork stew in an autoclave
For those who make blanks in an autoclave, I found an excellent video. In it, the author tells in detail and shows his recipe for making stew. The option is very good, you can use it.
Ingredients:
- Pork
- Salt - 1 teaspoon per half-liter jar
- Peppercorns - 5-6 pcs. for a half liter jar
Well, now you too can prepare a wonderful homemade stew by choosing any of the options you like. I am sure you will succeed, as I tried to describe in great detail all the intricacies of the cooking process.
Enjoy your meal! Bye!
