BBQ Pork and Beans – A Delicious Game Day Entree!

Tags

barbecue, BBQ Pork and Beans, slow cooker, Super Bowl

Since Super Bowl is next Sunday, I thought I would make something that others might enjoy as a game day dish. I had purchased some pork stew meat on sale and I had a bag of pinto beans, so pork and beans it is! Of course, I couldn’t resist the lure of BBQ flavor, so I included some BBQ sauce in the beans and boy that combined with a dash of liquid smoke, gave these beans a wonderful flavor! Not to mention, my house smelled wonderful all day while they were cooking! This is something a little different from the game day chili that is so popular, but it was just as delicious!

We enjoyed these beans as a main dish with a slice of bread. I happened to have some spicy chow chow in the fridge, so that is the relish you see in the photo. It added a nice, tart zip to the beans.

BBQ Pork and Beans

1 pound of dried pinto beans

8 cups water

1 cup chicken broth

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 pound cubed pork stew meat

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1-2 tsp hot sauce

Dash of liquid smoke

Salt and pepper

I didn’t soak my beans overnight, so I did the quick soak method. I put the dried beans in a large pot with 8 cups of water. I brought the pot to a boil and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Then I turned off the heat and let them sit for about 20 minutes to cool down just a bit. I then transferred the beans with about 3 cups of the water they cooked in, into my slow cooker. I added all the other ingredients, gave it a good stir and cooked it on high for about 8 hours. The beans really need that high setting to cook through.

Enjoy! Go Eagles!!!

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Gumbo – Super Bowl Food Success!!!

Tags

Andouille, cajun, Cooking, Food, gumbo, recipe, Slow Cooking

   
This will be my last gumbo related post for a while! I promise! I just had to share that my first attempt at making gumbo was a success. It turned out thick, hearty and delicious! It had great bold flavor with just the right amount of spice and the okra didn’t get slimy. Score!!!

So a few days ago I shared the link to another bloggers post with instructions on how to make gumbo. I used their post as my guide and things turned out perfect! Their instructions were so easy to follow and left room to experiment, which I did. You know I had to get creative and put my own spin on it! That’s just how I roll! You’ll find the link to their blog below.

So in their instructions you’ll notice they suggest various liquids you can use. You want to have a total of 8 cups. I used my large 8 cup measuring bowl. I poured in a 12 oz bottle of a Gordon Biersh Marzen beer, one 28 oz can of diced tomatoes in puree and then poured in enough chicken broth to bring it 8 cups. It ended up being 2-3 cups of broth.

I also opted to use red bell pepper in my holy trinity. I just don’t like green bell peppers. I did include 1 stalk of celery too.

I did want some spice in my gumbo, so I chose to add 2 tsp of Cajun seasoning and 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Of course, I added salt and black pepper too.

Anyway, it turned out great and made a nice sized batch. I highly recommend giving it a try. It does require your undivided attention when making your roux, but once you get all the initial work done, you can just let it simmer for several hours. Mine simmered on the stove in my Dutch oven for a good 5 hours. I did crack the lid, so liquid could cook off and it could thicken up.

Here is the link to the original instructions that I used: https://houseblendfamily.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/gumbo-for-beginners/ 

Thanks to the folks at House Blend for the great gumbo recipe! Your instructions were so easy to follow!
My lovely brown roux:

  

The holy trinity:

  

The chicken and andouille sausage: