Ukrainian Braised Pork with Mashed Potatoes (video)
You’ll love this hearty and delicious Ukrainian braised pork shoulder with creamy mashed potatoes from the very first bite! This video is sponsored by National Pork Board. The pork shoulder is slowly braised with an aromatic mushroom and carrot sauce and is so tender! The creamy sauce is made with ketchup and sour cream, a staple ingredient in Ukraine. And the buttery potatoes are the perfect complement for this pork dinner dish! It’s Ukrainian comfort food at its best!
My Braised Pork Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions and watch me make this delicious Ukrainian braised pork dish! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Pork is the Best Passport
You don’t have to travel to Eastern Europe to enjoy the flavors of the Ukrainian cuisine! Experience authentic world flavors at home with this incredible pork dinner recipe! Pork is a very versatile protein that’s a staple ingredient in many cuisines, including the Ukrainian cuisine! Unwind and enjoy this hearty, delicious and easy dish with friends and family any day of the week!
Bring flavor to everyday moments with pork. Visit www.pork.org/realpork to learn more!
Ingredients for Ukrainian Braised Pork with Mashed Potatoes
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to prepare this delicious and tender braised pork shoulder with gravy!
- Pork Shoulder: this fatty and marbled cut of pork is the best choice for this recipe. When braised, the pork becomes extra tender and soft!
- Mushrooms: I used white mushrooms but you can use just about any variety. Portabella and cremini also work well. If you don’t like mushrooms, you can omit them from this recipe without having to change anything.
- Carrots, Onion, Garlic: a classic combination of aromatics are a must for this recipe!
- Ketchup: ketchup is very commonly used in place of tomato sauce in Eastern Europe. The sweet flavor works very well for the gravy sauce.
- Sour Cream: another very traditional ingredient, for making the sauce creamy. You can also use heavy cream for this recipe.
- Coriander, Paprika & Cumin: these spices add tons of great flavor! Try using smoked paprika for a smoky flavor!
- All-Purpose Flour: for thickening the gravy.
- Fresh Dill & Parsley: using fresh herbs is always the way to go! They add so much great flavor!
- Potatoes: use starchy, russet potatoes for making the mashed potatoes for serving the pork.
- Butter & Heavy Cream: for making the mashed potatoes.
Preparing the Pork Shoulder
I start my Ukrainian braised pork recipe with the pork! I use between 3 and 4 pounds of pork shoulder for this dish. First, cube the pork into 1-inch, bite-sized pieces. Next, the pork needs to be browned all over. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add a portion of the cubed pork shoulder. I recommend browning the meat in batches, to avoid overcrowding the pan. Season the pork generously with salt while frying. Once the pork is well browned, transfer it into a large braising pan.
How to Make Ukrainian Braised Pork
You’ll love the creamy and aromatic mushroom sauce with the braised pork! It’s made with sour cream and ketchup, which might sound different from any other sauce you’ve made before. Sour cream is a staple ingredient in the Ukrainian cuisine and this dish is not exception! I recommend using full-fat sour cream for this recipe.
- First, brown the diced mushrooms in the same pan used for the pork shoulder. Then, add the grated carrots and diced onion. Sauté the mixture for a few minutes until the onion is tender.
- Next, add in the garlic and spices. This sauce is so aromatic thanks to ground coriander, cumin, smoked paprika and black pepper. I also add a bit of all-purpose flour to help thicken the sauce as it cooks.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the water, ketchup, sour cream and salt. Whisk the ingredients together until uniform, then combine the mushroom mixture, sauce and pork.
- Once you have everything in the braising pot, it’s time to let the pork cook away! First, bring the pork a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let the pork braise for 1 ½ hours, until it’s very tender. Keep the pan covered with a lid that’s slightly ajar, to let some of the liquids evaporate.
Cooking Methods For Braised Pork
This hearty pork dish can also be prepared in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker! Follow these instructions with a few minor changes for an easy meal!
- Stove Top: use a heavy Dutch oven or a large pot for cooking the pork. This is the method I used in my video recipe.
- Slow Cooker: if using a slow cooker, prepare the recipe as written, except reduce the water from 6 cups to 3 cups. Combine the browned pork, mushroom mixture and sauce in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.
- Pressure Cooker: if using pressure cooker, prepare the recipe as written, except reduce the water from 6 cups to 3 cups. Combine the browned pork, mushroom mixture, and sauce in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook at high pressure for 25 minutes to 30 minutes or use the recommended setting on your pressure cooker. Carefully open the lid!
Making Creamy Mashed Potatoes
While the pork is braising, it’s the perfect time to prepare the creamy mashed potatoes. I usually peel and cut about 4 to 5 pounds of large potatoes for this recipe. Cube the potatoes into uniform pieces for even cooking. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Drain the potatoes, then add the butter. I recommend adding the butter right away into the hot potatoes, so it melts quickly. As you’re mashing the potatoes, add a few tablespoons of cream as needed. Keep the potatoes warm until ready to enjoy with the braised pork.
Serving Suggestions
For serving my Ukrainian Braised Pork, I recommend spooning the pork and sauce over a bed of the creamy mashed potatoes. Sprinkle some fresh dill and parsley over the top for flavor and garnish. For a traditional Ukrainian meal, serve the dish with pickles or marinated tomatoes.
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More Recipes!
Enjoyed this delicious dinner recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Creamy Ground Pork Stroganoff – a quick and easy dinner dish! Aromatic and creamy ground pork sauce with mushrooms, served over egg noodles!
- Turkey Cabbage Rolls: an Eastern European favorite! Cabbage rolls filled with turkey and rice, then cooked in a creamy carrot and tomato sauce!
- Braised Beef Short Ribs – the best recipe for fall-off-the-bone, extra tender short ribs in a red wine tomato sauce!
- Best Beef Stew Recipe – the most delicious beef stew with extra tender beef, made with potatoes, carrots and red wine!
- Ukrainian Stewed Beef & Potatoes – another one of my childhood favorites! This easy dish has chunks of tender beef coated in a tomato sauce.
Ukrainian Braised Pork with Creamy Mashed Potatoes (video)
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs pork shoulder
- Salt
- Cooking oil
- 8 to 10 white mushrooms, diced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 5 to 6 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp smoked or regular paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 to 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
For Mashed Potatoes:
- 5 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled
- 2 to 3 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Making Braised Pork:
- Prepare the pork shoulder first. Using a sharp knife, carefully portion the pork into 1-inch cubes. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Season the pork generously with salt and brown the pork shoulder for 7 to 8 minutes, until well-browned all over. Do this step in 2 to 3 small batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Transfer the pork into a large braising pan.
- Next, into the same frying pan, add the diced mushrooms and more oil, as needed. Brown the mushrooms for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened. Add the carrots and onion next and continue to sauté the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add in the minced garlic cloves, coriander, cumin, paprika and black pepper and cook for another minute. Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture, then stir it in.
- Add the mushroom mixture to the braising pan with the browned pork. Next, prepare the sauce. Combine the water, ketchup, sour cream and salt and whisk the ingredients together for 1 minute, until smooth. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir to combine with the pork.
- Cover the pan with a lid, leaving it slightly ajar to allow liquids to evaporate. Bring the pork up to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the pork for 1 ½ hours, or until the pork is tender and soft. Remove the pork from heat and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of chopped dill. Reserve the remaining fresh herbs for garnish.
Making Mashed Potatoes:
- For the mashed potatoes: peel and cube the potatoes into even sized pieces and add the cubed potatoes into a large pot of water. Season the water generously with salt and bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes, then add the butter and let it stand for a few minutes until the butter is melted. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they’re smooth. Add a few tablespoons of cream to the potatoes, as needed. Season with salt, to taste.
For Serving:
- Spoon the braised pork over a bed of the creamy mashed potatoes. Garnish with more fresh herbs and enjoy.
Although the taste came out good, the video seemed a bit deceiving unfortunately. You can see at 5:45 that the food looks reddish pale but when I tried to cook this, it didn’t come out like the scene on7:36. I even transferred to an instant pot and still not the same result to where I felt like something got changed in the video. I could be wrong but out of all recipes from Tatyana that I like, this was my least favorite
Hi Lylah! I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out well for you. Hmm, I’m a little confused about the red color… The color comes from the tomatoes and paprika, maybe your ingredients weren’t as intense in color as mine, or your liquids didn’t reduce as much as mine did. Nothing was changed in the video.
Can I use pork ribs?
Sure! That would work, too. Enjoy!
How would ì do it in slow cooker as I can’t leave the lid slightly ajar, less water? How long in the slow cooker? Thank you
Hi! Here are the slow cooker instructions: if using a slow cooker, prepare the recipe as written, except reduce the water from 6 cups to 3 cups. Combine the browned pork, mushroom mixture and sauce in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I was super excited to make this and it turned out wonderful! I prepared it the night before and put everything in the crock pot. It cooked all day the next day on low while I was at work (8+ hours). When I came home it was ready to go! The pork was tender and delicious. I will add more mushrooms next time because I am mushroom obsessed. One thing I did do different was add a little cornstarch water at the end to make it thicker for my taste. This is a perfect comfort food dish. Thank you Tatyana!
You’re very welcome! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! A crock pot is such a great choice for this recipe! Glad it turned out great for you!
Would this work with chicken too?
Hi! I haven’t tried this recipe with chicken but it should work nicely! I think either chicken breast or chicken thigh would taste great. Enjoy!
I’m making this tomorrow but will add half the mushrooms in the beginning and half at the last 30 min of cooking? If I add in the beginning, I’m afraid they’ll disappear. I am doubling the mushrooms bc we live and breathe all things mushrooms. Can’t wait to try. Thank you for this lovely recipe. Sending prayers for Ukraine.
Hi! Sure, that will work great, too. My husband loves mushrooms, too so I know what you mean! Hope you love the dish and thank you for thinking of Ukraine!
We typically don’t eat a lot of pork in our house, but given the price of beef right now, I gave this recipe a try, as I found a pork roast on sale. It was a real hit with my husband, son, and elderly neighbor (to whom I gave leftovers). I was especially surprised that the unique spices (especially the coriander and cumin) weren’t at all prominent and just added to the overall rich flavor profile. I floured and seasoned the pork before browning, so I didn’t need to add additional flour later. I also amped up the amount of ketchup and other seasonings. As another reviewer noted, the color was more pale than the photos and video, but I corrected that with a bit of Kitchen Bouquet, which is caramel coloring from roasted vegetables. I like my potatoes whipped, so I used that method. I think I will try this dish with beef once I find a suitable cut on sale. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! I’m so glad to hear that the recipe was a huge hit with everyone! We’re the same – don’t eat pork too often but this dish is one of the exceptions. It’s a family favorite! Thanks for sharing your tips and for leaving a review!
I’ve cooked Russian before, but never Ukrainian. That’s changed now. I made this tonight, along with the braised cabbage piroshki, and oh my goodness! It’s one of the best meals I’ve ever made and I’m looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow. #StandWithUkraine
Awesome! I’m so happy you loved the recipe! Paired with the piroshki, that sounds like one amazing meal!
This tasted fantastic! So flavorful. My guests raved and requested the recipe. My store did not have shoulder so I used butt. I floured the meat before browning, doubled the mushrooms and used half beef bone broth and half water. I only used 4-5 cups (to cover the meat) as I put it all in a Dutch oven at 250 degrees for a couple of hours the night before and then simmered it the next day to reduce even more. Mine came out the same reddish color as the video. I can’t wait to try more of Tatyana’s recipes.
Hi Sue! I’m so happy the dish was a hit with your guests! And I love that you doubled up on the mushrooms – always a good idea. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!