White beans

RUGER

RUGER

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Ok so my next project is to cook some white beans with a ham hock in them.

Bag of dry white beans I mean.

I seem to remember my mom would soak them in water first or boil them or something?

What's the procedure for these suckers?
 
Sort through beans to look for any rocks (seriously), then put in crockpot with ham. Cover with water at least 2" above beans level. Set to low and cook for 8hr. No need to pre soak with this method. Only trick it to watch the water level and make sure they don't go gry as the beans soak up water. Add pepper to taste. May not need any salt, depending on what ham you use. That's how I make them.

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^^this is close^^^

You have to watch for rocks. Exactly why I never could find out but for sure there are rocks in the beans. I have also noticed a much larger percent of broken beans in the typical bag. I hate beans that have been broken and try to weed them out.

I do not use a slow cooker. I got a two gallon pan and I fill it about 1/2 the way with water and put in the beans and hamhock (you must have the bone).
My Dad would use pigs feet but he was a depression kid who never got over being hungry. Once you have ingredients add water to about 80% full and bring to a rolling boil. Cut the power to a slow boil.

Pepper as needed once cooked. You add salt to taste.

You must have cornbread.

You must have butter. My Dad would kill me if he saw me using margarine.

You must have fresh grade a whole milk.

In Missouri it is a law you have large white onions cut into near 1/2 inch thickness. Is a good law.

You only get a little ham.

Sopping your plate is legal in all states but California, Oregon, and Washington.

Lift your glass to my Dad, CR is how he was known. He will be watching I am sure.
 
lol, my next whitebean project will be GMB54's recipe below. except ill use dry beans instead of can so i can get them to a texture i like.
 
Dry beans are better. My recipe was more or less a test. I use dried quite often but i do soak mine overnight. Pops uses another method. He brings water to a boil and puts the beans in then turns the heat off. He does this in the morning for making beans later in the day for a late lunch or dinner.

Since trying smoked sausage in beans its become a favorite. Add them near the end as a seasoning. Dont turn your nose up to "po people" pieces of pork either. Stuff like sliced trotters with the skin on adds collagen to the broth. Its good for your skin/joints and adds a nice "mouth feel".

Meaty pork belly or pork side (skin on) works super well too. Boil it first for about 10min in just water. This will get rid of some of the funk and fat. Then add the belly cut into cubes to your beans. Sometimes i sear mine skin side down first before boiling it. Just sear and then add water.
 
Soaking shortens the cooking time but for me the biggest key in "soup" or "ham & beans" is not stirring them to much.....they will be mush if you do. Just stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom.

I like adding garlic and red pepper flakes along with what has already been mentioned above!
 
Well it was a success for sure.
Soaked the beans overnight then peppered them liberally and added a chunked up hock.
Cooked on low for 8 1/2 hours then on high for another hour or so.
Made a skillet of corn bread and grilled some pork steaks.

WOW!!!
I had forgotten how good real white beans are.
 
Beans, plenty on onions, some diced carrots, sausage or ham hocks. All day simmer and eat with a few warm rolls
 
What really makes beans is a mild member of the habanero family. Yes there really are such peppers that taste like habanero and have basically no heat at all. I grew 2 of them this year and both were pretty much heatless. Saute them with lots of onion, garlic and some celery. That is your "sofrito". Its a very common base for beans in Latin America or the "Holy Trinity" in Cajun cuisine.
 
Try a hatch chile cornbread. Jalapeno is good but roasted mild green hatch is even better. They are in season atm too. Several of the local markets near me have them. Roast and peel them yourself for pennies vs what they would cost. Mighty good in beans or chili verde also.
 
Made a pot of mayocoba beans (aka Peruano or canary bean) yesterday. Seasoned with peppers from Peru called aji panca. They are fairly lowend in heat but have a great flavor. Used some andouille for flavor and added some additional pork. Topped with fresh culantro.
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Aside from the aji panca paste the ingredients are pretty straight forward. I suppose you could use dried pasilla peppers (chile negro) if you wanted but the flavor is different. They are much easier to find at markets. If you want the real stuff you can get Zocalo or Belmont aji panca paste on Amazon. Burma Spice offers it in a powder. The paste is also excellent on beef kabobs and baked chicken if you want to try a very traditional recipe.

The sofrito base for the stock is mostly 3-4 parts onion to 1 part celery and garlic to taste. Sautee until soft in the sausage/pork fat and extra EVO if needed then add some cumin and the panca paste.
 

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