Pork and beans

The ‘pork and beans’ I grew up with came straight from the can. We only bought one brand — Hunt’s. My brother and I used to say how apt the name ‘pork and beans’ was — one piece of fatty pork and lots of beans. Much later, I would learn to remedy that by adding cubes of pork belly to the contents of the can. It’s not even always pork. In fairness to Hunt’s pork and beans, it is a great addition sausages. But there is only so much that you can do with canned products because everything has been pre-cooked for you. These days, I like cooking my own pork and beans using dried beans.

pork hock and beans served with French bread

It’s not as hard nor as energy-consuming as you think. Soaked overnight, the beans only need an hour and a half to cook and that’s the exact length of time it takes to simmer the pork hock to tenderness. Pork hock? Yes, pork hock — pata ng baboy. The bones flavors the sauce wonderfully; the ligaments as they melt make the sauce thick and sticky.

Ingredients :

a kilo of sliced pork hock (pata), with rinds
a cup and a half of dried white beans
3-4 cups of stewed tomatoes with the liquid
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
3 bell peppers, cored and diced
half a head of garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
a teaspoonful of peppercorns
4-5 sprigs of oregano
salt
5-6 tbsps. of olive oil

Cooking procedure :

Wash the beans and soak in water for at least six hours (overnight is best).

For the stewed tomatoes, just simmer the tomatoes in water until very, very soft. Cool and peel off the skins. If fresh tomatoes are not available (hard to find good tomatoes during the rainy season), you can use canned stewed tomatoes.

If fresh oregano is not available, you can use dried oregano — the kind used for cooking paksiw na pata.

pork, cooked beans, stewed tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, bay leaves and oregano

Heat the olive oil in a casserole. Lightly brown the pork in batches. Sealing the meat prevents scum from forming. Since this is a stew and you will not be able to skim off any scum that forms, I find it useful to lightly brown the meat before proceeding.

When all the pieces of pork have been lightly browned, return them to the casserole and add all the rest of the ingredients. Pour in about a cup of water, add some salt, cover and simmer for about an hour and a half.

A cup of water may sound too little but remember that the vegetables, especially the tomatoes, will liquefy and add more to the sauce. If the stew turns a bit dry during cooking, you can always add water little by little. But if you start with too much water, you’re likely to end up with a soup rather than a stew. So, start with a small amount of water.

Stir once in a while to make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the casserole. Add more salt if necessary. I do this twice — once after about an hour so that the pork can get a chance to absorb any additional salt and again about five minutes before cooking time is up to make sure that the sauce is not too bland.

pork and beans on my plate

You can sprinkle some finely sliced onion leaves on top of your pork and beans before serving. This stew is good with rice, crusty bread or good ol’ pan de sal.

November 25, 2007  Print This Post   
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Comments

11 Responses to “Pork and beans”
  1. A scientist in the kitchen says:
    November 25, 2007 at 1:02 pm

    This looks delicious, Connie. I never liked canned pork and beans because the beans are overcooked and powdery in texture. This is looks easy to make.

    Reply
  2. Connie says:
    November 25, 2007 at 7:33 pm

    I agree, canned beans are overcooked. They are so mushy that there is no discernible texture anymore.

    Reply
  3. bem says:
    November 26, 2007 at 9:57 am

    wow..na-esp ko siguro kayo. just the other day i was searching for a pork and beans recipe in your site and now here it is. galing!

    Reply
  4. Connie says:
    November 26, 2007 at 11:20 am

    hehehe ang tagal ko na rin gusto magluto ng pork and beans. Was just waiting to get a good cookware for slow cooking. :)

    Reply
  5. Ebba Myra says:
    November 26, 2007 at 11:18 pm

    naku, this dish is one of the easiest for me to prepare for my husband, and he loves this.. talagang favorite niya ang beans eh, he grew up with it daw. Imagine, put those things in the morning (in a crock pot), temp is low, at pag-uwi mo ng hapon, ayos ang ulam. Sometimes, I add picante sauce to have the Mexican flaire and topped it with fresh cilantro before serving. Sometimes naman, fresh rice, cheeze and onions, parang style “southerner red beans and rice”. Umm, sarap, maka-pagluto nga mamaya, perfect ito since malamig na rito sa Texas.

    Reply
  6. rheeza says:
    November 29, 2007 at 2:52 pm

    I love HUNT’s PORK AND BEANS… when I was small this is my choice!!! others prefer corn beef or meat loaf…

    Up to now I still crave for PORK and BEANS and it seems I have pass this to my children… not only do I enjoy every beans… every beans brings back so many wonderful childhood memories especially those with my MOM…

    I will try your recipe… I would like to make my MOM proud by cooking mg own PORK AND BEANS for her APOS…

    THANKS AND MORE POWER

    Reply
  7. brenda says:
    November 30, 2007 at 9:43 pm

    i also love Hunt’s Pork & Beans. Yung panganay ko na niece, pag ayaw nya ng ulam, ok na sa kanya ito. Ginagawang panghimagas pa! Kami lang yatang dalawa sa family ang mahilig dito.

    I love to try this recipe kaya lang my hubby doesn’t like pork & beans. Maybe pag may occassion na lang at may mga bisita. Thanks for the recipe Connie.

    Reply
  8. Connie says:
    November 30, 2007 at 10:41 pm

    Uy, mga Hunt’s lovers hehehe Pangit kasi Libby’s eh. :)

    Reply
  9. deity says:
    December 2, 2007 at 2:16 pm

    i’ve been missing tatay’s “pata tim” terribly so i decided i’ll prep one tonight. i googled for filipino recipe and voila i was directed here.

    thank you so much for sharing these!

    Reply
  10. Samuel C. Briguela says:
    November 11, 2008 at 8:07 pm

    Yan ang favorite ko, “pork and beans. I remember our bivouac in ROTC during my college days, canned pork and beans, loaves of bread and coftrinds lang baon ko, solved na. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’ll let my kids taste that.

    Reply
  11. Mommy Lala says:
    June 22, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    Hi Ms Connie,

    Had so much success with your kare kare last night (after the afritada recipe last week) will make this for a luncheon tomorrow. crossing my fingers!

    thanks for giving (lazy) moms like me a great source of ideas for ulam!!!

    Reply
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