Saucy Pork And Beans
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, which is much faster. Well worth making from scratch!
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Start With A Bath And A Soak
Just rinse and soak the dried beans in a large bowl filled with water a couple of inches above them. Let them plump up for about 6-8 hours. If using the Instant Pot, you may choose not to 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. I soak the beans to ensure they are tender every time.
Then We Brown Some Bacon!
Yes, smoky, salty, thick-cut bacon. Chop it or snip it into small pieces so it permeates the dish, delivering classic pork-and-bean flavor in every bite. Brown it in a pan, or, if you're using the Instant Pot, set it to sauté and stir the bacon pieces until golden brown.
Then add chopped onion and bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
After the bacon is browned, add the pinto beans with the remaining ingredients. Those are 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 as a brown sugar substitute because of its lower glycemic index and similar taste. You can reduce the syrup to 1 tablespoon for more carb relief while keeping the cane syrup taste. Still very delicious! Sugar-free sweeteners in place of brown sugar and syrup will further reduce the carb count.
Well, that's it! It doesn't take much to get the best barbecue beans you've ever tasted.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Pork And Beans
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes to 8 hours
- Total Time: 90 minute
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Description
The best-tasting pork and beans recipe is made quickly on the stove, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
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 the 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.
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 bit of 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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