Hearty Pork N Beans Recipes

HEARTY PORK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Place beans in a large bowl; add cool water to cover. Soak 5 hours or overnight. Drain beans, discarding water; rinse with cool water., In a 6-qt. slow cooker, layer beans, onions, carrots, celery and pork. Add seasonings, broth and ale. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until beans and pork are tender. , Remove pork; shred with 2 forks. Stir in tomatoes, spinach and salt. Return pork to slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

HEARTY PORK & BLACK BEAN NACHOS

Steps:

• Place beef jerky in a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Place ribs in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker; top with jerky, beans, broth, onion, bacon, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender., When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat with 2 forks; return to slow cooker. Strain pork mixture; discard juices. Serve with chips and toppings as desired. Freeze option: Freeze cooled shredded meat mixture with juices in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Strain pork mixture; discard juices. Serve with chips and toppings as desired.

HEARTY SAUSAGE 'N' BEANS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage and onion in oil over medium heat until onion is tender. Add the beans, water, tomatoes and salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil; stir in rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

HOMEMADE PORK AND BEANS

Steps:

• Add beans and boiling water to a large pot and cover.
• Let sit overnight.
• Drain beans and add 6 cups of water.
• Cook on medium-high heat for 60 minutes.
• Drain navy beans a second time.
• Add salt, molasses, mustard, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, bacon, and chicken broth, and stir well.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 60 minutesor until beans are tender.

HEARTY MINESTRA BASE WITH CRANBERRY BEANS, POTATOES, AND PORK

Steps:

• Drain the soaked beans and put them in the pot with the water, potatoes, bay leaves, and peperoncino. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally so nothing scorches on the bottom of the pot.
• While the water is heating, make the pestata in the food processor, chopping the bacon, rosemary, and garlic to a fine paste. Scrape every bit into the soup pot. Rinse in hot water the spare ribs, pork hock, or other bony pork, and add it to the pot too.
• When the water is at a full boil, set the cover on ajar; adjust the heat to maintain a steady gentle boiling, and cook for an hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans and the potatoes are tender and are beginning to break apart. Skim the fat or residue from the pork now and then, as it collects on the surface.
• Meanwhile, prepare the soffritto. Pour the oil into a small skillet, stir in the onion, and set over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring, until wilted, about 6 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into bits with your hands, and pour them with all the juices into the skillet. Stir in the 2 teaspoons salt, and simmer rapidly for about 5 minutes, until the juices have reduced a bit. When the beans are tender, pour the tomato mixture into them, dipping the skillet into the soup pot to slosh out every bit, and keep the minestra boiling.
• Cook the minestra for another hour or more, 2 1/2 to 3 hours total, until the volume has reduced to about 4 quarts (about midway up an 8-quart pot, when you take out any bones and meat). If there's too much broth, raise the heat and cook uncovered, but stir frequently to prevent burning. Taste the soup when reduced, and correct seasoning.
• Take some of the base for a finished soup now if you want, or let the whole pot cool. Before using or storing, lift out the pork bones, pick off all the meat, shred it, and stir into the base; pick out the bay leaves and discard. Keep the soup refrigerated for 3 or 4 days, or freeze, in filled and tightly sealed containers, for 4 to 6 months
• I will often add extra pork pieces to the big minestra pot for an hour of so of cooking, then serve the meat as a separate course. If your pot is big enough, you should be able to drop in a pound or more of meat, either bony spare ribs or hocks, or meatier cuts, such as pork butt or country-style ribs, in addition to the ones already cooking with the soup. Italian sausages and kielbasa are also great cooked this way. Wash meat well with hot water before, or you might give it a quick boil before adding to the pot.
• You can cook such main-course meat anytime the minestra is perking away, though it will take on the best flavor after you've added the tomato-onion soffritto and salt. Remove the meat when tender, keep warm until ready, slice, and serve on a platter-moistened with a ladle of delicious minestra broth.
• If you prefer a vegetarian minestra, flavor it during the long cooking with an herb pesto instead of the bacon pestata: in the food processor, chop the garlic and rosemary in 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, and scrape this into the soup pot as it comes to the boil. Then just follow the recipes for the base and any of the finished minestre.

HEARTY RIBS AND BEANS

Steps:

• Place ribs in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; add water. Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours. Drain, reserving liquid; skim fat. Set ribs aside. , Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 cup; place in a saucepan. Add the tomato sauce, soup mix, brown sugar, mustard and hot sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes; reserve 1/2 cup. , To the remaining sauce, add the beans, celery and red pepper. Pour into the baking dish; add ribs. Pour reserved sauce over ribs. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

EASY PORK 'N' BEANS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine all ingredients; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until heated through.