Creamy Braised Pork and Bean Stew With Cinnamon, Fennel, and Onion

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Creamy Braised Pork and Bean Stew With Cinnamon, Fennel, and Onion

There are few things as comforting as a bowl of warm, creamy beans dotted with pieces of tender pork. It's even better when the recipe for that bowl of pork and beans practically cooks itself, as with this pork and bean stew.

My goal with this recipe was to cook the dried kidney beans and meaty pork shoulder until they both achieved the best textures possible: creamy, almost melting beans and spoon-tender pork. To season the stew, I use warm spices like cinnamon, smoked paprika, and fennel seed, but I also add dried shiitake mushrooms, which are one of the richest sources of umami-rich glutamate. Vinegar is added after cooking to balance the meaty, earthy flavors.

I like to serve this pork and bean stew all on its own, but if you like, you can serve it with some plain steamed rice or with some bread alongside just to make a more complete meal of it. Creamy beans, tender pork, a richly spiced and savory gravy, enriched by the starches and gelatin produced by the beans and pork—it's the perfect meal for a cold winter evening.

Servings:

Calories: 687kcal

Author: Serious Eats

Ingredients

For the Beans:

1 pound dried kidney beans picked of any debris and rinsed
3 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt for table salt use about half as much by volume or the same weight
1 ¾ teaspoons baking soda

For the Pork:

4 medium cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt for table salt use about half as much by volume or the same weight, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
3 pounds boneless pork butt
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms about ten 1-inch caps, 15g
¼ cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
cooked rice or toasted and buttered sourdough bread for serving

Instructions

For the Beans:

In a large bowl, cover beans with 8 ½ cups (2L) water.
Add salt and baking soda, stirring briefly to combine, then cover loosely and let soak at room temperature at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

For the Pork:

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Drain the beans, then rinse well under running tap water.
Transfer beans to an 8-quart pot or Dutch oven.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the garlic, onion powder, fennel, salt, black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne.
Rub the mixture all over the pork, then set the pork in the pot with the beans.
Add 4 ½ cups (1L) water along with the shiitake mushrooms, tomato paste, and fish sauce, stirring to ensure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.
Seal the pot with two layers of foil, crimped tightly around the edges to prevent any steam from escaping.
Cover with the lid, then transfer to the oven and cook until the pork is fork-tender and the beans have completely cooked through, about 4 hours.
Using a pair of kitchen tongs, remove and discard the shiitake mushrooms, then carefully transfer the pork to a large platter.
Using a pair of forks, shred the pork, then return it to the pot along with any juices on the plate.
Stir in the vinegar, then season with additional salt, if desired.
Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve hot or warm with plain rice or toasted and buttered slices of sourdough bread.
Pork and beans garnished with greens.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The stew can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat gently before serving.

Nutrition