Braised Pork and Beans With Salsa Verde and Pickled Red Onion

This recipe was inspired by a lunch that our chef instructor at SF Cooking School made for our class while we were in an all-day bread workshop with a guest chef. It’s worth noting that we ate this back in July and I’m still thinking about it…

When I had my first bite of this, my jaw literally dropped…it had to be one of the best things I’d eaten in class up until that point. It was rich and hearty but so unexpectedly fresh and bright from a mustard seed salsa verde on top. I asked Chef Marc how he made it and he quickly summarized the process while I furiously jotted down some rough/slightly cryptic notes.

After testing a couple of different iterations and modifying a few things from Chef’s dish, I came up with this final recipe. It’s perfect for this crazy time we’re living in because it uses mostly pantry ingredients, it can be modified (more in the notes section!), and it’s low-maintenance. It can cook away on the stove while you work from home or spend time with your kids and family.

I hope you try it out and don’t hesitate to reach out to me in the comments section below or on Instagram with any questions!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb dried beans (can use cannellini, navy, cranberry, great northern, etc.)

• Olive oil

• 2.5 lb. pork shoulder cut into 2-inch chunks

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• Kosher salt

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 whole cloves of garlic, skin removed + smashed

• 3 cups bone broth or stock (I used chicken but use what you have on hand)

• Black pepper

• Salsa Verde

• Pickled Onions

METHOD

The Night Before:

1. Soak the beans in a big bowl with enough water to cover them by two inches.

2. Generously season the pork with kosher salt. Store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or bowl covered in plastic wrap.

The Day of:

1. Drain the soaked beans and set aside.

2. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temp for about 30 mins. Pat the pieces of pork to dry with a paper towel.

3. In a dutch oven or heavy-bottom pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the pieces of pork shoulder, making sure not to crowd the pan (you can brown the pork in a couple of batches, if needed).

4. Brown the pork on the first side, 2-3 minutes (as tempting as it might be, don’t touch the pork once you add to the pan – this will ensure it gets really brown!). Flip and brown on the other side, another 2-3 minutes.

5. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside on a plate. Repeat with any remaining pork.

6. Drain off most of the fat that has rendered in the pan from the pork, leaving about 1 Tbsp in there. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the diced onion and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and allow the onions to soften but not brown, about 5-7 minutes.

7. Add the bay leaves, garlic cloves, and soaked + drained beans. Stir and add the broth along with enough water to almost cover the beans.

8. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, turn down the heat to the lowest setting on your stove and nestle the pieces of browned pork into the bean mixture. You want a very gentle simmer – an aggressive simmer or boil will result in tough pork, so monitor your flame accordingly.

9. Cover the pot with a lid and allow to cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until the pork is fall-apart tender and the beans are nice and creamy. You can mash some of the beans with the back of a fork or wooden spoon to thicken the braising liquid to your desired consistency.

10. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste. You will likely need to add a good amount of salt to properly season this.

11. Serve in bowls topped with salsa verde and pickled red onions.

NOTES

• If you’re vegetarian, you can omit the pork and only make stewed beans. Just start with step six (and start with 2 Tbsp olive oil in the pan).

• I haven’t tried making this with canned beans, but you can certainly sub them in if that’s what you have on hand! Just skip the soaking step and make sure to completely drain + rinse the beans from the can. The end product might be a little more broken down since canned beans are pre-cooked but it will still be delicious!