You can’t go wrong with pork and beans, at least not at my house. This is one of those few dishes where leftovers don’t last long here. Pork and beans was one of those dishes that was pretty common in our household growing up, and I’m sure it was and still is pretty common in a lot of homes primarily because it’s a fairly inexpensive dish. We also tend to classify it as a comforting dish and this is quite true. There’s just something really comforting about sitting down and enjoying a bowl of hot pork and beans stew, it’s soul food. This stew is packed full of spices, tender melt in your mouth meat, and a nice kick of heat courtesy of fresh jalapeños.
What Cut Of Pork Is Best For Stew?
Pork shoulder is perfect for this recipe as it works best when cooked down well. You’ll want to cook that meat first, especially since pork shoulder is a fattier meat, so you want to render some of that fat and turn it a bit crispy. If you want to make this a tad bit healthier you might want to drain the fat from the meat before adding the rest of the ingredients, but I didn’t since I wanted to keep that yummy flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Olive oil – To brown our meat, we want a nice neutral tasting oil. Pork – We’re using pork shoulder today, with the fat trimmed and cubed into bite sized pieces. Sausage – I used kielbasa cut up into small pieces. It’ll add so much flavor to this dish so don’t skip this ingredient, if you have trouble finding some feel free to substitute chorizo or andouille. Onion – We want something that cooks down well like white or yellow onion. Garlic – Use as much or little as you like. Jalapeno – Chopped up fine with the seeds and ribs removed. Spices – Cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne. Tomatoes – 1 entire large can of diced tomatoes. Beans – Feel free to either use an entire can of pinto or kidney beans. Broth – I recommend using beef broth, low sodium as we want to control the amount of salt in our dish. Herbs – Fresh green onion and cilantro to be sprinkled over top at the end of cooking our dish. Lime – Wedges to squeeze some fresh juice right over top.
How To Make Mexican Pork Stew
Other Cooking Options
Crock pot
To make this in a crockpot, follow step 1 to brown the meat then transfer the meat and the rest of the ingredients (with the exception of the green onions, cilantro and lime) to the crockpot and stir. Cook covered on low for about 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender.
Pressure cooker
You’ll want to follow the directions outlined above, including browning and sautéing right in the pressure cooker on the saute setting. Assemble the ingredients in the pot, make sure to scrape the brown bits from the inner pot once the broth is added! Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally before serving!
What Else Can I Use In My Pork Stew?
There’s lot’s you can incorporate into this stew! It’s a blank canvas for whatever you’d like to use up in your pantry or fridge, so feel free to have some fun with it.
Veggies
Cauliflower Peas Broccoli Zucchini Celery
Meat
Lamb Beef Chicken Turkey
Using other proteins may effect the cooking time so just keep that in mind when incorporating other meats into your stew.
How to Serve
This meal is totally rich, satisfying, and filling all on it’s own. My favorite thing to pair it with is some nice crusty bread to soak up all that delicious flavor! Here’s some of my favorites from the blog:
No Knead Bread Italian Skillet Pull Apart Bread Sunflower Bread
Leftovers
Allow the stew to come to room temperature but don’t leave it out, unrefrigerated for more than two hours. Store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing
You can freeze this stew for 4 – 6 months. Simply transfer it to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer. Just allow to thaw overnight in the fridge and warm back up to temperature over the stove when ready to eat.
Craving More Comfort Food? Try These Delicious Recipes:
One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole Chicken And Dumplings Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies Ranch Pork Chops And Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Mexican Stuffed Peppers Carne Guisada Pork and Potato Stew Pozole Rojo Recipe
