Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Slow-Cooker Pork 'n' Beans

Nothing says Americana like a good ole can of Pork 'n' Beans.  This is a little different twist to the traditional beans that you remember from your childhood.  I could eat them hot or cold.  But what about that little piece of pork fat at the top of the can?  Does that really make them Pork 'n' Beans?  Here's a recipe that we can say is REALLY Pork 'n' Beans.


  • 1 lb. dry pinto beans, picked over (or any bean you like)
  • 1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 2 oz. pancetta or bacon, diced
  • 1 red or green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Place beans in a large pot and cover with water by about 3 inches.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, cover and let stand off heat for one hour.  After an hour, drain and rinse soaked beans and transfer to a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.  Add enough hot tap water to cover by 1 inch  Cook for 2 hours on high.


Add pork, bell pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeno, ketchup, molasses and tomatoes and cook for 3 more hours on high.  Toward the end of cooking time, cook pancetta or bacon until crisp.  Add to slow-cooker including rendered fat from the bacon.  


At this point, I was losing patience with the slow-cooker.  The beans were just beginning to bubble and the cooking time was almost up.  I put them in the oven @350 degrees F. for an additional hour and the sauce thickened perfectly.

The inspiration for serving the grilled garlic bread with the beans came from a friend of mine from the UK, where they traditionally eat "beans on toast".  It's one of their comfort foods.  


~Adapted from Clean Eating



4 comments:

  1. This is a one pot meal! I'd love to make this in the fall. Sounds really delicious. Happy 4th of July! xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wish I'd seen this sooner! I'm soooooo making it tomorrow! Thanks Patti! xoxoxo

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  3. I love pork & beans. Your recipe sounds great and I like that it's done in a slow cooker.

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  4. I love a good slow cooker meal. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    ReplyDelete

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