Three Ingredient Pork and Beans

I said I would share my super easy pork and beans recipe that I have been using for over twenty years.  It really is three ingredients if you don't count water as one.  Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients
1 pound bag of pinto beans
3 dried chilis (I used Guajillo chiles)
1 good sized ham hock or chunk of salt pork

This recipe was cooked in a six quart crock pot.  You will want to start this recipe early in the day before you want to eat it. 

Rinse and pick over your pound of pinto beans.  If you have a dried bean that you like better than pinto beans, give them a try.  Put the beans in your crock pot and cover them with water.  Let them soak all day and add more water if they soak it all up.

 

Before you go to bed, add enough water to your soaked beans to a level about an inch above the top of the beans.  Place your three dried chiles on top.  I used a pretty mild guajillo chile but you can use any kind you like.  The guajillo does have great flavor and works well if you have kids (like I do!) that aren't quite ready for really hot food.  Turn your crock pot on low and let it cook all night, covered.

The next morning give the beans a stir and add more water if they need it.  They will continue to absorb water has they cook so more can be added as need.

Before you put the lid back on the crock pot place your ham hock on top of the beans.  I used the ham hock that I smoke on Easter.  Return the lid to the crock pot and continue to cook for 8 hours at low.

After 8 hours of slow cooking remove the ham hock and the chiles.  Discard the chiles and once the ham hock is cool enough to handle, strip all the meat off of it.

Return the meat back to the beans and enjoy.  Our family really loves to have a side of cornbread when I serve these beans.