The best thing about these Saucy Pork And Beans is that they've never seen the inside of a can. Made with dried pinto beans and combined with a flavor-packed sauce, they become what real pork and beans should taste like. You can easily prepare them on the stove, in the crockpot, or in the Instant Pot, a much quicker process. Well worth making from scratch!
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Start With A Bath And A Soak
Just give the dried beans a rinse and a soak in a large bowl with water measuring a couple of inches above them. Let them plump up for about 6-8 hours. If using the Instant Pot, you may choose to not soak. However, my experience cooking unsoaked dried beans in the Instant Pot doesn't always bring the best results. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with how dry the bean is. So I soak to make sure I get a tender bean every time.
Then We Brown Some Bacon!
Yes, smoky, salty, thick-cut bacon. Chop it up or snip it into small pieces so that it permeates all through the dish for that classic pork and bean flavor in every bite. Brown it up in a pan or if you're using the Instant Pot, set it on saute' and stir the bacon pieces 'round and round 'til golden brown.
Then add some chopped onion and bell pepper to saute' for a few minutes.
After the bacon is browned, throw the pinto beans in with the rest of the ingredients. That would be the ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, cane syrup, liquid smoke, brown sugar, salt, white pepper, and water. Then stir it all together, cover the pot, turn on the heat, and let them cook until the beans are tender and creamy.
Here's A Hint . . .
To reduce carbs and sugars, I use sugar-free ketchup and barbecue sauce. I also use coconut palm sugar to substitute the brown sugar because of its low glycemic index and similar taste. You can reduce the amount of syrup to 1 tablespoon for more carb relief to keep that cane syrup taste. Still very delicious! Sugar-free sweeteners in place of brown sugar and syrup will lower the carb count even more.
Well, that's it! It doesn't take much to get the best barbecue beans you've ever tasted.
Instant Pot Pork And Beans
The best-tasting pork and beans recipe is made quickly on the stove, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
- Total Time: 90 minute
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and soaked for 6 - 8 hours
- 4 slices (6 ounces) thick-cut bacon slices, chopped or snipped into small pieces
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon creole or regular mustard
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons cane syrup
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 cups of water
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Drain soaked beans well.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the saute setting and cook the bacon until browned.
- Add onion and bell pepper to the bacon and cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn off the pressure cooker.
- Add the beans and the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stir, and cover with the lid to lock and seal.
- Press the manual setting and cook for 60 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow the pressure to naturally release after the chime sounds.
- Slow Cooker
- Drain soaked beans well.
- Brown the bacon in a pot on the stove.
- Add onions and bell pepper to the bacon and cook until the onion starts to turn clear.
- Add the onions, bell peppers, and bacon with the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot, stir and cover.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are tender, checking if more water is needed during cooking.
Stovetop
- Drain soaked beans well.
- Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven until browned.
- Add onions and bell pepper to the bacon and cook until the onion starts to turn clear.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stir, and cover.
- Set flame to low for a gentle simmer and cook the beans for 45 minutes or until they are tender, checking to adjust the heat and see if they need more water during cooking.
Notes
- Freeze a batch in smaller serving portions of the leftover beans for later.
- To reduce carbs and sugars, use sugar-free ketchup and barbecue sauce. Also, use coconut palm sugar to substitute brown sugar because of its low glycemic index and similar taste. For more carb relief, reduce the syrup to 1 tablespoon to keep that cane syrup taste. Sugar-free sweeteners in place of brown sugar and syrup will lower the carb count even more.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes to 8 hours
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Saucy Pork And Beans, More Than A Side Dish
These beans are easy to make, delicious, and versatile. We like them so much we eat them as a main dish with a chunk of Iron Skillet Cornbread and a salad tossed with dressing like this Sweet-Hot Cajun Vinaigrette to complete the meal.
So with a little preparation ahead of time, you can serve the best tasting homemade pork and beans ever! May I suggest cooking up an extra batch and dividing it into serving portions to store in the freezer? Much better than reaching for a can from the pantry.
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"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
– Mother Teresa
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