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Smoky Soup Beans

Source of Recipe

From "The Southerner's Cookbook" from the editors of Garden & Gun


Recipe Introduction

"Southern cuisine often makes a lot out of a little, and there's no better example than soup beans, which is just that: dried pinto beans and salt pork, bacon's backwoods cousin, set to simmer in water until the three ingredients combine to form a hearty, soulful soup much greater than the sum of its parts. There's not a thing in this world wrong with soup beans made the traditional way. But trading smoked ham hocks for salt pork stays true to the dish's humble spirit, while adding three things: firewood flavor, picked meat, and a bit of extra body. Diced aromatic vegetables and bay leaf elevate it just a bit more—but not above its raisin'."

List of Ingredients

For the smoked pork stock:
â—¦ 3 quarts water
â—¦ 1 small white onion, peeled and quartered
â—¦ 4 whole cloves
â—¦ 2 pounds smoked ham hocks

For the soup beans:
â—¦ 1 pound dried pinto beans
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 ½ cups diced white onion (about 1 medium onion), plus more for garnish
â—¦ 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
â—¦ 1 cup diced celery (about 2 celery stalks)
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 2 ½ quarts smoked pork stock (recipe above)
â—¦ Picked ham hock meat (about 5 ounces)
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

For the smoked pork stock:
Pour the water into a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Stud the onion quarters with the cloves and add to the pot with the ham hocks. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Strain the stock, reserving the ham hocks and discarding the remaining solids; let cool.

When the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Pull the meat from the bones and shred or dice it. Transfer the strained, cooled stock to the refrigerator. Once chilled, remove the fat that has solidified on the surface of the stock and discard it. Use the stock as instructed in the recipe below or freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it when you're ready to complete the recipe.

For the soup beans:
Rinse, drain, and pick through the beans. Transfer the beans to a stockpot or large bowl and add water to cover; soak overnight at room temperature to rehydrate. Drain the beans and leave them in the colander.

Melt the butter in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the beans, smoked pork stock, and picked ham hock meat. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ hours, until the beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve, topped with a scattering of diced raw onion.

Serves 8 to 12