Smoked Pork & Bean Soup
Submitted by lah532
Hearty smoked pork and bean soup built from ham hocks, dried pink beans, and beef stock with paprika and sauteed garlic. Partially pureed for a thick, velvety body. Serves 6.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
8 hrsThis is the kind of soup that sticks to your ribs and warms you from the inside out. Ham hocks simmer low in beef stock with dried pink beans, onion, and paprika until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender and the beans are creamy.
The smart move here is pureeing a quarter of the beans with some cooking liquid and stirring it back in. It thickens the broth into something rich and velvety without adding cream or flour.
Chopped hock meat goes back into the pot, a quick sauté of sliced garlic in lard gets stirred in at the end, and you’ve got a bowl of soul-satisfying soup.
Kitchen Tips
- Soak the beans overnight. It cuts the cooking time and gives you a more even, creamy texture when they simmer.
- Cut the ham hocks into 1-inch pieces before cooking. More surface area means more smoky flavor released into the broth.
- Sauté the garlic quickly in hot lard or oil, just until fragrant. Burnt garlic turns bitter and will throw off the whole pot.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the beans overnight in about 4 cups of water.
Drain the beans and place in a 6 quart pot along with all other ingredients except the lard/oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer until the hocks are tender.
Strain the hocks from the pot and cool.
Remove the meat and discard the bones.
Remove ¼ of the beans and purée with 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Return to the pot.
Chop the deboned meat and add to the pot.
Stir all together and return the soup to a simmer.
Heat a small frying pan; add the lard/oil and sauté the garlic for a moment.
Add the garlic to the pot along with salt and pepper to taste.
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