This sweet and slightly spicy pork & bean stew combines two BBQ faves: pulled pork and baked beans. Make this low & slow-cooked stew once and it will become a regular on your weekend supper roster.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword BBQ, Beans, Comfort Food, Pork, Stew
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Bean Soaking Time 4 hourshours
Total Time 5 hourshours50 minutesminutes
Ingredients
BBQ Pork & Bean Stew
8ozdried pinto beans
¼cup BBQ spice rubstore bought or see recipe below
2lbsboneless pork shouldercut into 2-inch cubes
1tbspbacon fat or vegetable oil
½largeoniondiced small, ~1/4-inch dice
1largecarrotdiced small, ~1/4-inch dice
1stalkcelerydiced small, ~1/4-inch dice
1cupcanned crushed tomatoes
1cupsweet & spicy BBQ saucesee notes below
4cups vegetable or chicken stock
kosher saltto taste
BBQ Spice Rub
6tbspkosher salt
6 tbspsugar
1 ½tbspchili powder
1 ½tbspsmoked Spanish paprika
1 ½tbspground cumin
1tsponion powder
1tspgarlic powder
1tspdried thyme
1tspblack pepper
Instructions
Pour beans into a large container and cover with water by a few inches. Let soak for 4-8 hours. Drain.
Evenly sprinkle the chunks of pork with BBQ rub so it's well-coated on all sides. Let the pork marinate in the rub while you're preparing the rest of your ingredients.
Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Once the pot is warmed up, add bacon fat or vegetable oil. Sear the pork chunks on all sides until well browned and remove from pan onto a plate. Do this in 2-3 batches so you don't crowd the pan and bring down the temperature.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and a large pinch of salt, about 1 tsp. Let the vegetables cook until they start to get soft and the onion becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and cook until some of the excess water from the tomatoes cooks off and the tomatoes become thicker and slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Add the stock, BBQ sauce, beans, and seared pork along with any juices from the plate. Bring the pot up to a boil. Stir. Reduce to a light simmer. Cover. Cook until the beans are tender and the pork is falling apart. This will take at least an hour and up to an hour and a half depending on your beans.
Once the beans are tender and the pork is falling apart, use a spoon or potato masher to mash a bit of the mixture. Mash some beans to help thicken the stew and break apart the larger pieces of pork. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the stew thickens slightly. Then serve.
Notes
Any light colored or white bean would work here.
The BBQ spice rub recipe here will make more than you need, but it's great to have on hand. I like to use this to rub on to chicken breast and grill for a quick BBQ rubbed chicken to use on salad (like this BBQ chicken & peach salad.)
I always save the bacon fat whenever we cook bacon. This lasts practically forever in an airtight container in the fridge. If you don't have any on hand, but want the smoky flavor the bacon fat imparts, just cook a slice of bacon in the pot that you're going to cook the stew in. Remove when the fat has been rendered. Enjoy the bacon as a chef's snack.
Make sure you use a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce here. The stew needs the spiciness to offset the sweet. If you want to make this but don't have a spicy BBQ sauce on hand, add some spice. Use a finely diced jalapeno and cook with the vegetables. Or add a finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce with the BBQ sauce.
The beans can take up to an hour and a half to cook depending on how long you soaked them and the age of the beans. Older beans will take longer to soften. Don't fret. Use the beans as your guide to when the stew is done. Pro-tip, taste a few beans before you decide the stew is done. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled a pot because I tasted one bean and it was soft while the majority of beans were not!