Salt pork

[Hawkmoon]

Having grown up in New England, I'm accustomed to baked beans with cubes of salt pork, rather than bits of bacon. The traditional "go to" brand of store bought baked beans in my family for decades was B&M brand. Sadly, B&M has been bought out by one of the congomerates, and their "Original" baked beans is now NOT the original. It now contains salt pork flavor (they say), but it no longer actually has any salt pork in it.

I'm a widower, so I don't feel like making a big pot of beans and salt pork from scratch. What I'd like to do is buy canned vegetarian baked beans and add some cubes of salt pork. I can buy a slab of salt pork at the supermarket, but I have no idea how to prepare it before adding it to the beans. I know I have to blanch it to remove as much of the salt as possible. Then what? I sort of tink I should just boil it for awhile, but for how long? A few minutes? A whole lotta minutes?

Advice welcome.

[Fly320s]

I have never cooked with it, but I did find this info:  https://bostonsidewalks.com/View-a-Technique/2/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-Before-Cooking-with-Salt-Pork

In general, it looks like you use it like bacon.

[K Frame]

Exactly. You treat it just like bacon.

In fact, salt pork really IS bacon. It's cured largely the same way that bacon is. It does tend to be saltier than bacon, so you may or may not want to parboil it, depending on the dish you're going to use it iin.

In your case, adding it to prepared baked beans, I'd parboil it.

And you can certainly make your own, credible "faked beans" using canned beans and the other ingredients. Here's one of a TON of recipes I found online: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/21655/simple-baked-beans/

[Andiron]

Funny thing,  salt pork smells like ass when you cook it,  but the flavor is amazing.  That Bostonsidewalks link has a pretty solid recipe for clam chowder that calls for salt pork.  I've made it like 3 times now and it's good.

[Hawkmoon]

I have never cooked with it, but I did find this info:  https://bostonsidewalks.com/View-a-Technique/2/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-Before-Cooking-with-Salt-Pork

In general, it looks like you use it like bacon.

I had already found that article. But in baked beans you don't treat the salt pork like bacon. When doing the beans the traditional (New England) way, the cubes (or strips, but I've always seen it in cubes) of salt pork are put in the pot with the beans and molasses and simmered for the entire cooking time -- which is several hours. The salt pork cubes in the finished product aren't browned or crispy, they're soft and tender, such that they can easily be cut with the edge of a fork.

But I'll be dealing with pre-cooked beans, so I need to get the salt pork to that same texture without re-cooking the whole thing and turning the beans into a soggy mass. Frying is out. I'm thinking of dicing the salt pork into cubes of maybe 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch size and then setting them in a saucepan to boil for awhile. The question is: how long should "awhile" be? Maybe I'll just have to experiment.

[Hawkmoon]

And you can certainly make your own, credible "faked beans" using canned beans and the other ingredients. Here's one of a TON of recipes I found online: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/21655/simple-baked-beans/

That has to be a VERY old recipe, because it calls for canned beans with pork. And I can't find any baked beans with pork in the stores any more. B&M no longer has salt pork in it. The brand that's relatively new in my part of the world is Bush's, and their various offerings are all with bacon, none with salt pork.

[K Frame]

I've not bought pork and beans in years, so I don't know what they're putting in them anymore...

Have you tried Van Camp's?

You could always try making your own small batches in a crock pot. Sure, it would take awhile, but you'd get the effect you're looking for, I'd think.

[Hawkmoon]

Have you tried Van Camp's?

Not available in this corner of the universe. My choices are B&M ("Original" -- but they now leave out the pork); Bush's; Campbells Vegetarian Baked Beans; and store brand (with no pork or bacon).

You could always try making your own small batches in a crock pot. Sure, it would take awhile, but you'd get the effect you're looking for, I'd think.

I'd have to buy a crock pot. And I'd have to make more than I want or need for one person.

[K Frame]

Well, if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that baked beans freeze really well.

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[Hawkmoon]

I'm bringing this one back because I still haven't found an answer. If anyone who hasn't already responded has any thoughts on how to prepare cubes of salt pork to add into canned baked beans, please add your input. Winter's coming, and from time to time during the winter a dish of baked beans goes down nicely. (Especially if it has salt pork in it ... grrrrr.)

[Scout26]

Cube the salt pork, parboil to cook it/remove some of the salt.   Throw it in with the beans and molasses, then simmer for a long time.

[K Frame]

After parboiling it, pan sear it to carmelize it a bit, then put it into the beans.

[charby]

Not available in this corner of the universe. My choices are B&M ("Original" -- but they now leave out the pork); Bush's; Campbells Vegetarian Baked Beans; and store brand (with no pork or bacon).


I'd have to buy a crock pot. And I'd have to make more than I want or need for one person.

There is this website called Amazon.com. less than a dollar a can, still contains pork in it.

https://www.amazon.com/Van-Camp-Pork-Beans-15-Ounce/dp/B00415CXXW

[K Frame]

Read the reviews for it. Man, they're bad.

[charby]

Read the reviews for it. Man, they're bad.

I grew up on them, so I love them. Wish I could still digest dried beans.

[Brad Johnson]

When my brother had his steakhouse one of the hands-down standout customer favorites were his pinto beans. Funny enough, they were the single easiest thing on the menu to make. It was essentially just old fashioned camp beans, everything dumped in a pot and left to cook. The hardest part of the whole deal was sorting and rinsing the beans.

Beans, water, a liberal dash of his steak seasoning, and salt pork pulled straight from the package and cubed. That's it. Dump it all in the cooker, simmer to tender, and serve.

Brad

[K Frame]

I grew up on them, so I love them. Wish I could still digest dried beans.

When you grew up on them they were owned by Van Camp's, or a different company. Apparently from what people are saying they really went downhill after ConAgra bought them in 1995.

My Grandfather liked them, as I recall, and we had them when I was growing up.

I was never huge on canned baked beans, but the homemade ones are a lot of work. But still a lot better. I usually make them in winter. They're a good hearty meal when it's cold out.

[charby]

When you grew up on them they were owned by Van Camp's, or a different company. Apparently from what people are saying they really went downhill after ConAgra bought them in 1995.

My Grandfather liked them, as I recall, and we had them when I was growing up.

I was never huge on canned baked beans, but the homemade ones are a lot of work. But still a lot better. I usually make them in winter. They're a good hearty meal when it's cold out.

It has been at least 3 or 4 years since I've had them. They are not sweet and sticky like traditional baked beans. Slightly sweet, slightly salty.

[lupinus]

Huh. It's been a little bit since I bought them but the last jar of B&M I bought had the usual hunk of pork in them. But then I almost always buy the jar instead of the can.

I also often buy Bush's which are pretty good. Perhaps try dabbling with the other recipes available?

Otherwise I agree. Crack a can, par simmer some cubed salt pork, and then add the salt pork to the beans. I'd be sure to simmer them together nice and low for awhile so the flavors have time to do their thing. My concern using canned beans for this would be that by the time the flavors had time to marry the beans would be drastically over cooked.

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[K Frame]

One of my coworkers had a recipe for something called Calico Baked Beans that used canned beans. Freaking awesome recipe, and they were never overcooked. I'll have to see if I still have the copy she gave me.


OK, it's actually this recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/calico-beans/

Very good, and a great mid winter meal.

[makattak]

One of my coworkers had a recipe for something called Calico Baked Beans that used canned beans. Freaking awesome recipe, and they were never overcooked. I'll have to see if I still have the copy she gave me.


OK, it's actually this recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/calico-beans/

Very good, and a great mid winter meal.

My mother makes that recipe as well. Amazing stuff.
 
During last winter when she visited, she left us a batch in the fridge, just waiting to be cooked.

I'll second Mike's notion that these are "freaking awesome".

[Hawkmoon]

Otherwise I agree. Crack a can, par simmer some cubed salt pork, and then add the salt pork to the beans. I'd be sure to simmer them together nice and low for awhile so the flavors have time to do their thing. My concern using canned beans for this would be that by the time the flavors had time to marry the beans would be drastically over cooked.

I'm not worried about getting flavor from the salt pork, its purpose is texture.

I broke down and contacted Hormel (the brand of packaged salt pork my supermarket sells). Their advice was to simmer it for 30 minutes, then add to the beans. I also read that freezing salt pork for 20 days at 5 degrees F. kills trichina larvae, so I'll combine both. The package I have is going to get tossed. I'll grab a new package, freeze it for three weeks, then follow Hormel's advice.

[zxcvbob]

When you grew up on them they were owned by Van Camp's, or a different company. Apparently from what people are saying they really went downhill after ConAgra bought them in 1995.

My Grandfather liked them, as I recall, and we had them when I was growing up.

I was never huge on canned baked beans, but the homemade ones are a lot of work. But still a lot better. I usually make them in winter. They're a good hearty meal when it's cold out.

Wolf brand chili really went to hell after ConAgra bought it.  It's still edible but just barely (as in, I didn't give it to the dog but I'm never buying it again.)  It has hardly any meat now, mostly just cereal fillers.

[K Frame]

Why are you worried about trichinosis? It's exceptionally rare in the US pork supply these days, and it shows up primarily in pastured hogs. I don't think there's been a case showing up in farmed hogs in the better part of a decade. Most of the cases of trichinosis occur from people eating wild game.

Plus, simmering in water hotter than 160 deg. F for 30 minutes or so is going to kill any of the worms or larvae that may be present.

[K Frame]

I think the next cool weekend we have I'm going to make those Calico Beans. Probably use ground turkey instead of ground beef, up the onion, maybe expand the spice range a bit.