Pork Soups and Stews

This hearty stew from chef Fernanda Milanezi is super-simple to make for a crowd. It’s finished with heavy cream, which amplifies the wonderful apple flavor.

Tia Harrison breaks down a pig each week at Avedano’s and finds making stew a versatile way to use cuts like pork shoulder, shanks and belly. Here she cooks the stew with pleasantly bitter ancho chiles.

Mexican posole is typically a thick, hearty soup made with hominy (chewy dried corn kernels with the hull and germ removed). For his version, Ethan Stowell slow-simmers chunks of pork butt in water with onion and garlic to create a dish that’s appealingly brothy.

After visiting New York City’s top ramen spots (including Ippudo NY, Sapporo and Momofuku Noodle Bar), Grace Parisi created her dream ramen with a pork-and-chicken-based broth that gets extra depth of flavor from kombu (seaweed) and shoyu (Japanese soy sauce).

Michael Symon defines himself as a “porketarian,” saying he can’t get enough of the meat. For his luscious chili, he uses incredibly flavorful and succulent pork cheeks—an unusual cut worth seeking out. If pork cheeks aren’t available, pork shoulder (cut into 2-inch pieces) can be substituted.

A mix of mild chiles (poblano, Anaheim) and hot ones (serrano) gives body and heat to this quick braise made with boneless pork shoulder (ask your butcher to trim it for you).

This combination of briny cockles and smoky pork is traditional in southern Portugal’s Alentejo region, though the fresh red chiles in the sauce here add a distinctive twist (for a sweeter variation, use red bell peppers instead).

Marcia Kiesel credits split pea soup, one of her favorites, as the inspiration for this hearty stew. Like split peas, chickpeas need to simmer for a long time, making them great for a slow cooker.

When Grace Parisi was growing up, her mother made white bean and escarole soup every Friday. To transform the soup into a main course, Parisi substitutes ham and spiced croutons for the greens.

”I love food that makes noise,“ says Edward Lee. When F&W challenged the Top Chef Season 9 contestant to make a fast dish with pork, kale and white wine, he created a deeply flavorful soup, then added crumbled rice cakes that crackle as they hit the broth. The dish is based on one he likes from a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese spot in Manhattan’s Chinatown. ”They make a big deal out of adding the rice, so you can celebrate the sizzling sound,“ Lee says.

Chef Rick Bayless’s pork stew is smoky and delicious, especially when topped with avocado, cheese and onion.

Good News This spicy Mexican-style stew is loaded with vegetables, including carrots, an excellent source of vitamins A and K. Andrew Murray makes it for his employees around harvest time. “It’s our comfort food at the winery,” he says. “And it’s a nice excuse to stop for a few minutes and eat together, even when we’re busy.”

In many Asian cultures, long noodles symbolize long life. And in the spirit of that tradition, we've left the past whole here, to be eaten with chopsticks or even a fork. Of course, if you're feeling reckless, you can go ahead and break the noodles into smaller pieces before cooking them.