Authentic Pörkölt (Hungarian Beef and Onion Stew)
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One of the most famous Hungarian dishes, this slow-simmered Hungarian beef and onion stew is loaded with flavor and is positively delicious! An authentic Pörkölt recipe, it’s one of my personal favorites and is destined to become a favorite in your home too!
My last trip to Hungary before leaving Europe and moving to the United States was with my brother. Knowing we’d be terribly homesick, we decided to do a Grand Tour of Italy, Austria and Hungary before we left. It’s one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. We took time with us, simply jumped in the car with a few provisions, and drove south from Germany with no set itinerary or hotel reservations. We wanted to be spontaneous, to go wherever the mood led us. And it was fantastic!
While we were in Budapest we ate at one particular restaurant twice, St. Jupát. Several years prior it had been a grease pit, but churned out the best food. It was so greasy that at the back of the restaurant where the cooking steam was coming up through the grates on the sidewalk, the grates were covered with thick residues of lard. Fast forward a few years, the restaurant had experienced a makeover and the atmosphere was really cozy. All-wood interior with tables made out of huge, solid slabs of wood. Even the food was served on rectangular wooden plates. Never mind the fact that the forks and knives of hundreds of previous customers had carved grooves into the wooden plates, raising the question of sanitation – the food was absolutely fabulous and that’s all that mattered. Plus, as always, you say a quick blessing on the food and trust that God will prevent you from keeling over dead after your meal. That method of food safety has never failed us!
What is Pörkölt?
Marhapörkölt, Hungarian for “beef stew”, is a prime example of how just a few simple ingredients can produce the most delicious flavor. The basic Hungarian porkolt consists of onions sautéed in fat, meat and paprika and slow-simmered in a little water…and the result is fabulous.
And so we ordered the Marhapörkölt, one of our favorite Hungarian dishes, and practically swooned over how delicious it was. We ordered a side serving of Hungarian cucumber salad and for dessert we had traditional cold Hungarian cherry soup. We enjoyed everything so much that we ordered exactly the same thing the following evening.
Porkolt Key Ingredients
There are a couple of important keys necessary for achieving the best flavor results: The onions need to be cooked in lard and the paprika is added to the beef and only briefly cooked to bring out the flavor but not so long that it becomes bitter. And you only want to use a little water so that the stew is thick and concentrated for serving over dumplings or noodles.
And of course, very importantly, you need quality Hungarian paprika. There are many options out there to purchase, a tiny fraction of which actually come from Hungary. We cannot emphasize enough what a massive difference quality Hungarian paprika makes. We recommend this genuine Hungarian paprika imported from the Kalocsa region of Hungary. It has a wonderfully rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color. Many of our readers have tried it, written back and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes all the difference.
I don’t recall whether this restaurant included caraway seed or not, but that is a common addition and has been included here. I don’t like it to be overpowering, but a little bit added creates a really nice flavor element.
A word about the lard: Most lard that you find in the grocery store is hydrogenated and is something I avoid. Some specialty stores carry pasture-raised lard but it’s very expensive. You can also buy it online. With the high cost of lard in many places we include an alternative that will provide a lot of flavor as well: Bacon. You can either use bacon grease in lieu of lard or add bacon pieces to your Pörkölt – your choice. If you’re up to rendering your own lard (it’s SUPER easy and MUCH cheaper), check out our post on How to Make Lard.
Porkolt is most commonly made with beef or pork and some versions include bell peppers and tomatoes. I’ve included both. Marhapörkölt really is Hungarian comfort food at its best. Pull up a chair and join me!
Authentic Pörkölt Recipe
Let’s get started!
In a large saucepan, fry the bacon until done.
Add the onions and cook over medium high heat until light golden.
Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook for another two minutes.
Add the beef and cook for just a minute until some but not all of the pink is gone.
Add the paprika, stir to combine, and remove from the heat (paprika gets bitter when fried).
Add the tomatoes and remaining seasonings.
Pour just a little water in – you want it to come up just a tad above the halfway point of the stew mixture. In other words, you don’t want it to completely cover the stew.
Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
If it’s not thick enough by that point, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to evaporate some of the liquid. Add salt to taste.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the porkolt with Spaetzle. In Hungary they’re shorter and stubbier but the flavor and texture is the same. Or serve with boiled potatoes or wide egg noodles. A side salad, particularly a cucumber salad, is also traditional (see also my creamy German cucumber salad). If desired, serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Hungarian recipes be sure to also try my:
- Chicken Paprikash
- Hungarian Goulash
- Bean Goulash
- Szegedin Goulash
- Chicken Goulash
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup
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Authentic Pörkölt (Hungarian Beef and Onion Stew)
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon , diced (traditionally you would use lard (about 2 tablespoons) and many Hungarians add some kolbasz for flavor which makes a big difference)
- 1 large yellow onion , finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 large tomato , finely diced
- 1 1/2 pounds stewing beef , cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons quality imported sweet Hungarian paprika (yes, that's TABLEspoons!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds , coarsely crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- Water
Instructions
- In a heavy pot or Dutch oven fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until golden. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the beef and cook for a minute until some, but not all, of the pink is gone. Stir in the paprika and remove from heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add just enough water to come up to just over the halfway point of the stew mixture (in other words, not so the water is covering it). Return to heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 90 minutes. If the stew isn't thick enough, continue to simmer uncovered for a few more minutes so that some of the liquid evaporates. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with Spätzle (in Hungary they are shorter and stubbier, so prepare the dough accordingly or just use whatever method/shape you prefer – the texture and flavor of the dough is the same regardless). Or serve with boiled potatoes or wide egg noodles. A side salad, particularly a cucumber salad, is traditional. If desired, serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 18, 2015
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hi—this is the most authentic recipe I’ve seen.
I concur that using ‘bacon’ will give it an odd flavour, as the traditional recipe calls for ‘szalonna’, which is quite different than bacon.
I suggest that ‘bacon’ be removed and just stick with lard
Great article
YOu need to add paprika near to the end when it is almost done, or it gets bitter.
Hi Laszlo, paprika only gets bitter if its fried or cooked over high heat.
Could you use pork shoulder instead of beef
Hi Mike, yes you can though it won’t have quite as much flavor.
This is by far the BEST recipe for Hungarian beef stew. Hands down
Loved the Hungarian Beef and Onion Stew. It reminded me of the wonderful Gulasch Suppe my Dad made in Germany. The sweet hungarian Paprika really made the dish so tasty. I had 4 lbs of stew meat to work with, doubled the recipe and added a little more paprika and water. Works wonderful on our Keto diet.
Vielen herzlichen Dank Kimberly
Vielen Dank, Rosemarie, es freut mich, dass es Ihnen gefallen hat! :)
I’ve been cooking porkolt since being taught the secrets of the superb Hungarian cuisine over 50 years ago by my Hungarian mother-in-law and I can tell you, this recipe is as authentic and delicious as it gets.. if you don’t mind, I will share that my source for genuine, top quality Hungarian paprika is Penzeys Spices..I use both their sweet, as well as the sharp paprika when I make this..and I have some cooking on the stove right now.
BTW- I love your site..thank you !
Thank you so much for your generous input and kind words, Dolores, I really appreciate it! <3
In New Zealand we have access to real lard, so how much do I use for this recipe to replace the bacon? Regards, Brian
Hi Brian, about 2 tablespoons.
Beef stew is made from legs. We do not put cumin seeds in it. That’s the weight. The secret of thick juice is the many onions. All you have to do is fry the onion in a glass with a little salt. Add the meat and fry until bleached. The many red ashes also thicken the sauce. All you need is pepper and salt. A little red wine can give it a deeper taste. Cook slowly, on low heat. 2-3 hours. It can even be placed in the oven.
Disappointing. We think it might be because we used bacon not lard and non-Hungarian paprika- but a good brand, Barts. It was incredibly salty (because of the bacon maybe). We’ve loved all the other Daring Gourmet recipes we’ve tried so the recipe might be fantastic – just do what’s recommended!!
Hi Rebecca,
Using Bacon to cook in a stew means to use a bacon which is smoked and air dried. Like it’s used in Europe in Australia bacon is cooked in salt water and that’s where the salt overpowers
I recommend not to use the bacon at all as all my European background tells me not to use the bacon as it does not get more as a salty taste
It’s important that you toast the caraway seeds
The beef coated with flour
Use good beef like I use Wagu beet, topside roast instead what’s used in original recipe, cow meet which is usually used to make stock or stew
Made this stew shortly after you published it and yes, added FOUR tablespoons of paprika. Very delicious! I freelanced a bit and added some mushrooms and served it over spaetzle. A winner!
Thank you, Michael, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight for the last meal of 2020, and it was delicious!
I used 3 Tbs Penzeys sweet paprika and 1 Tbs of Pensey’s Half Sharp paprika, which gave it a bit of a kick, and we loved it. Many thanks for sharing.
That’s fantastic, Michael, thank you so much!
This was my first foray into traditional Hungarian cuisine. I couldn’t get enough beef cuts so I used half a pound of mushrooms to make up the difference. Maybe this alteration makes it no longer a traditional recipe but it was very good none the less. Also I generally don’t use caraway seeds in anything that I cook but I specifically bought them for this recipe. The flavour that they gave was incredible. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if I hadn’t included them. I can’t wait to try making this recipe for friends and family. And of course trying other amazing authentic recipes that I find within the pages of the daring gourmet.
Thank you so much, Starla, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback!
I plan to make this soon, but in a “medium saucepan”? I’d use a dutch oven; would that work? Thank you!
Hi Michael, yes, a Dutch oven.
Thank you!
I have eaten this many times as my mother use to make it when I was young and now I make the same way .
Fatworks makes real lard, as well as Goose Fat, Duck fat, Schmaltz, etc..Good mail order place, some higher end stores carry it.
Thanks for reminding me, Eva. I mention Fatworks in several of my other recipe posts and have updated this one to include that info.
I’m going to try this recipe soon – sounds good
Isn’t it interesting that now lard can mostly be found in higher end stores!!
In days of yore people collected it from their own cooking and called it ‘dripping’ here in Australia.
My parents were of Eastern European origin and they often enjoyed dripping on bread, as did many people in that era.
Also putting my penny’s worth re stewing meat, these cuts of meat are the preferred ones for long cooking – the meat stays moist and the gelatinous parts add delicious flavour.
Thanks also to Kimberley@thedaringgourmet