Smoked Pork Shank With White Beans Recipes

WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH SMOKED HAM SHANK

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or any heavy pot with a lid.
• Saute the onions and garlic in the butter until translucent.
• Add the ham shanks, broth, water, and bay leaves to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
• Uncover the pot and add the beans, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
• Cover pot, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. More liquid can be added at any time if the beans soak up all the existing liquid as they cook.
• Uncover the pot, taste, and add salt if needed. (The ham might have been salty enough.)
• Add the tomatoes, cover, and simmer for another 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender and creamy (time will vary depending on the kind of beans you use).
• Remove the ham shank to a cutting board and slice off chunks of meat from the bone.
• Spoon the soup into a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Top with the ham pieces and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

SMOKY WHITE BEANS & HAM

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions., Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Transfer beans to a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add ham hocks. Stir in onion, broth, water and seasonings. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until beans are tender., Remove meat from bones when cool enough to handle; cut ham into small pieces and return to slow cooker. Serve with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with onions if desired.

PENNE WITH WHITE BEANS AND SMOKED PORK

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sage and cook until the garlic is light golden and the sage is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Add the pork, beans with their liquid and the chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pasta and 1/2 cup cooking water to the bean mixture. Stir to combine, adding more cooking water as needed to thin the broth. Season with salt and stir in the parsley. Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

BRAISED PORK SHANK

Steps:

• For the brine: Bring the water to a simmer in a large non-reactive pot. Turn off the heat and add salt, sugar, coriander, peppercorns, rosemary, bay leaf and garlic and bring to a simmer. Whisk until the salt and sugar is dissolved, and then let it cool in the fridge or an ice bath until the brine hits a temperature of 35 degrees F.
• Add the shanks to the cooled brine and weigh down with a plate to ensure that the shanks are completely submerged. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
• After brining, remove the shanks from the brining liquid to a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel to dry off a bit. Discard the brining liquid.
• For the braise: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil so that it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven or roasting pan completely. Put some flour in a shallow dish. Add a heavy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the flour and whisk to combine. Dredge the shanks in the flour, shaking off the excess, and add them to the pan. In order to get a nice even golden-brown sear, you don't want to overcrowd the pan. (Do this step in two batches if necessary.) Brown the shanks on all sides, a few minutes per side, then remove to a plate while you sear the rest.
• Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary and thyme with a large pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add the apple cider and reduce by half. Add half the chicken stock and bring the braising liquid up to a simmer. Taste it for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if necessary. Place the shanks back into the pan; the liquid should go about halfway up the shanks. If it does not, add the rest of the liquid until it reaches the desired half. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the meat is tender, about 200 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the shanks from the oven and carefully transfer the shanks to another large pan. Then strain the braising liquid over the shanks. Cool them in the liquid overnight in the refrigerator.
• The next day, reheat the shanks in their liquid. Then remove them to a large serving platter. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat.