One of our favorite meat dishes, Carne de cerdo guisada o Puerco guisado is a Dominican pork stew that is a juicy meat dish. One of our favorite lunch dishes, this pork in flavorsome tomato sauce is fairly easy to make. Let me teach you how and our favorite ways to serve it.
By - Last reviewed . Published Sep 21, 2011
Why we ❤️ it
Pork is one of the most favorite meats in the Dominican Republic, I dare to believe even more than beef. It is a juicy meat, less challenging to cook, and more versatile.
Along with Pollo guisado and Res guisada, Cerdo guisado forms the trilogy of Dominican guisados (slow-cooked in tomato sauce). There are other meat, fish, and seafood stews as well, needless to say, but these three are the most consumed.
Pork cuts for guisados
In the DR, we just go to the supermarket, and "carne para guisar" comes pre-packaged without having to worry about finding out what they are. Usually pre-cut into perfectly sized chunks.
If you are not in the DR, check at the supermarket for pork shoulder, blade chops, or ask the butcher for any suggested cuts for braised pork. Though not a traditional cut, I love boneless pork ribs (or removing the bones at home) and cutting them into small pieces for this dish.
Braised pork in tomato sauce.
Serving suggestions
In our country, cerdo guisado dominicano is almost always served with rice. A ubiquitous choice is moro (rice with beans in one dish) since it is a drier rice dish that goes well with stews with abundant sauce, but you can also serve it with White rice and Dominican beans, Boiled yuca (cassava), or Guineítos (green bananas).
It also goes great with moro de habichuelas (Dominican rice and beans) and Moro de habichuelas negras. Finish the dish by adding some Tostones (fried green plantains), and/or some slices of avocado.
Top tips
- The time it will take for the meat to tenderize will depend a lot on its quality, cut, and other factors, so there is no specific time for it.
- Generally, the meat and bean dishes are the first things you start cooking in a Dominican meal to have more flexibility in the preparation time. So consider that to make your cooking plan.
- I like seasoning the pork the night before and leaving it marinating in the fridge overnight. If you have the time, I recommend it; it improves and deepens the flavors in this dish.
- Dominicans call Worcestershire sauce "salsa inglesa," in case you've never heard that name before.
About this recipe
This is a relatively simple recipe for the experienced Dominican cook; but if this is your first time preparing cerdo guisado, our recipe has all the information you need to get it right the first time.
And if you like eggplant, we have a similar recipe with eggplant that you will love.
Do you have any tips you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments!
Video
Recipe
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Carne de Cerdo Guisada [Video + Recipe] Stewed Pork
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork, [0.48 kg] (blade chops or any cut for braising cut into small pieces)
- 1½ tablespoon salt, (or more to taste), divided
- 1 tablespoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or more to taste), divided
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 1 tablespoon mashed garlic, crushed
- 1 large red onion, cubed or sliced
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil, (peanut, soy or corn)
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups tomato, diced
- ¼ cup pitted green olives
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley, (or cilantro)
Instructions
1. Seasoning
In a large bowl, season the pork with a half the salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, garlic, and onion.Cover and let it rest in the fridge overnight, or at least an hour.
2. Cooking pork
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot or large skillet. Add the pork (leaving the seasonings in the bowl for later use) and cook, rotating til it browns once the meat juices evaporate.Add 3 tablespoons of water and simmer covered over medium-low heat until the meat is tender, stirring and adding water by tablespoons as needed to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom.Once the meat is tender (between 20 to 40 minutes – depending on the cut and meat quality – uncover and let all the liquid evaporate.
3. Cooking vegetables
- Once the liquids evaporate, add the seasonings left from the marinade, and cook stirring. until the onions turn translucent.Add the bell pepper, olives, and tomato and stir to combine. Incorporate the tomato sauce and stir. Cook covered over medium-low heat until the liquids reduce and you have a thick sauce.
4. Serving
Season with salt to taste and stir in the parsley. Remove from the heat. Check the serving suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
More pork recipes
Pork is one of our favorite meats, and we love it as Salami Dominicano, Chuleta (pork chops), Longaniza, Chicharrones, and many more pork recipes.
Don't miss our stellar Dominican sancocho recipe, Puerco asado, Mofongo, Paticas de cerdo, Carne de cerdo frita, Empanadas de cerdo, and many more.
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