Joey's Pork Teriyaki Stew

I'm still in the mood for some old timey stews that you make in a cast iron dutch oven. I guess it's the time of year and the cold weather. There's just something wonderful about that warm aroma wafting through the house when you have a pot of something in the oven. It makes everything cozy and warm, don't you think?
 As much as I love a good beef stew recipe, I figured a pork stew would be a nice change of pace. And the sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes add an extra dimension of flavor that carries on the sweet and savory theme. It's comforting and homey without being too over the top in any direction. I REALLY think you'll like it!
Enjoy!


2 lbs boneless pork, cut into cubes
salt and pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
a few glugs vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 can (8oz) pineapple chunks in juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce (plus more)
a splash of soy sauce
1 lb fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
1 lb baby carrots
2 chopped scallions
cooked rice


Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
Coat pork in mixture of flour and ginger.
Heat oil in Dutch oven; brown pork on all sides in hot oil.
Remove to a plate.
Add diced onion and saute until slightly caramelized.
Drain pineapple; reserve juice.
Add pineapple juice, water, teriyaki sauce, and a splash of soy sauce to the pot.
Add sweet potatoes and carrots along with the pork and any accumulated juices.
Cover. Place in oven for 1 hour, or until pork and sweet potatoes are tender.
Stir in pineapple; cook only until heated through.
Serve over rice. Top with chopped scallions, and a little extra drizzle of teriyaki sauce.

Tips:
I used boneless ribs and then just cut them into cubes. They were AMAZINGLY tender. I'm sure you can use whichever cut of pork you like.
You can easily make this on the stove top. Just cover and let it simmer over a low heat until the pork and sweet potatoes are tender.
If you'd like it to be a little more saucy, simply double the sauce ingredients.

And one other note....
When you heat the oil in the dutch oven, make sure it's hot before you add the pork, but not TOO hot. You really don't want the oil to ignite into a flash grease fire causing smoke to billow through your apartment which will cause the building fire alarm to sound and then you'll have to explain everything to the fire department, several policemen and also the 911 dispatcher......
I'm just sayin'.