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Pörkölt with juicy meat cubes, served in spicy paprika sauce
Slow-cooked Hungarian meat stew with a rich and savoury sauce.

Traditional Hungarian pörkölt (Beef stew)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses

Pörkölt is not just a dish, but a technique: 'pörkölés' means frying the meat in its own fat and cooking in little liquid in its own juices. Good pörkölt gravy is not a thin broth, but a thick, creamy emulsion created by plenty of onions and collagen dissolving from the meat. A game of patience: it must not be rushed, allow the flavours to mature and the meat fibres to surrender to the heat.

🕒 Prep Time 20 mins
🍳 Cook Time 2 hrs
⌛ Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins
🍽️ Servings 5 servings
🔥 Calories 550 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Hungarian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Thick-bottomed pot or cauldron
  • Sharp knife
  • Wooden spoon

Allergen Information

⚠️ Sulphites (wine)

Instructions

1 ✓

Cut the meat into 2-3 cm cubes, chop the onion very finely.

Tip: The smaller the onion, the better it cooks down and thickens the sauce.
2 ✓

Fry the onion in the fat until golden brown (approx. 10-15 mins on slow heat). At the end, add caraway and crushed garlic.

Tip: Do not burn, but brown properly; this provides the base.
3 ✓

Remove from heat, mix in paprika, and pour on a little water.

Tip: Water stops the frying, protects the paprika.
4 ✓

Return to heat, add meat, and stir on high flame until it whitens and releases juice.

Tip: Meat's own juice is the most delicious cooking medium.
5 ✓

Add finely chopped pepper and tomato. Salt, cover, and cook in its own juice, on low heat.

Tip: Tomato acidity helps tenderise meat, pepper gives fresh flavour.
6 ✓

If juice boils away, only pour a little (half a decilitre) water (or wine) underneath. Repeat until meat softens (1.5-2 hours).

Tip: This is the 'frying on its fat' technique: always steam in thick sauce, do not boil in thin liquid.
7 ✓

When meat is tender, serve with nokedli and pickles.

Tip: The sauce should be thick, shiny, and red.

Recipe FAQ

How much onion does it need?
The golden rule: onion should be approx. 20-30% of meat weight. Plenty of onion gives the sauce thickness.
When do I add the paprika?
Always removed from the heat, dissolve in the fat, but be careful as it burns in moments and becomes bitter.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Beef shin or pork leg
  • 3 heads Onions
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 3 tbsp Lard
  • 2 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground caraway
  • 1 pc Green pepper
  • 1 pc Tomato
  • 1 dl Red wine (for beef, optional)
  • 200 ml Water (only as needed)