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    Home » Recipes » Soup & Stew Recipes

    Slow Cooked Pork & Beans with Smoked Ham Hock

    Published: Jan 12, 2021 · Modified: Mar 20, 2024 by Cristina · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This slow cooked pork and beans with smoked ham hock is like Heinz baked beans for grown ups. Subtly sweet beans paired with smoked pork make for a perfect comfort food classic.

    A large pot of slow cooked beans and smoked ham hock being shredded with two forks.

    It's winter so I've really been leaning into some of my favourite winter recipes like Romanian sour meatball soup, butter bean stew with smoked sausages, and meat pie.

    There are few dishes that evoke the colder seasons for me than beans and smoked pork. So a few weeks ago when I found smoked ham hocks at my neighbourhood Russian market, I was delighted to put another winter comfort classic on the table.

    The best part of this dish is the sheer simplicity. It's as hands off as meals come and the ingredients are simple.

    • 1 smoked ham hock
    • 2 cups of dry white or brown beans (or 3 cans drained)
    • 1 red pepper, finely diced
    • 2 yellow onions, finely diced
    • 1 can diced tomatoes
    • 1 can water (for canned beans) / 2.5 cans water (for dry beans)
    • One and a half tablespoons sweet paprika
    • Half a teaspoon oregano
    • Half a teaspoon summer savoury or thyme
    • A quarter of a teaspoon black pepper
    • Salt to taste (I used about 1.5 teaspoons)
    • Sugar to taste

    You basically just throw everything into a pot and slow cook in the oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot for 3-4 hours.

    More hearty meals:

    • Smoky Romanian Bean Stew
    • Crispy Parmesan & Herb Chicken Quarters with Roast Potatoes
    • Romanian Slow Roasted Caramelized Cabbage
    • Romanian Sour Meatball Soup
    • Homemade Pappardelle with Sicilian Anchovy & Breadcrumb Sauce

    If you're using canned beans then all you need are the ingredients above.

    If you're using dry you'll need to soak them for a few hours before cooking and then add up to one and a half additional cans of water.

    Tips for different cooking methods

    Personally I recommend simply using an oven for this if you have the option. The dry heat will caramelize the ingredients and create a beautiful flavour. If you only have a slow cooker or Instant Pot then here are some tips.

    A whole smoked ham hock with crispy roasted skin laying on top of a big pot of baked beans cooked with tomato.

    Oven

    Since ovens create a dry heat environment you can get some nice browning on the meat and develop good umami flavour from the caramelization of the sugars and proteins in the beans.

    Use a heavy bottom pot with a lid (ideally cast iron like a Dutch oven). Slow cook at 150 C / 300 F covered for 2 hours and then uncovered for 2 hours.

    Slow cooker

    If using canned beans then simply put everything in your slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 3-4 hours.

    If you start dry beans in the slow cooker it will take a long time at low heat until they're soft. I suggest boiling the beans first (in a regular pot or under pressure) until soft and then put everything in your slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 3-4 hours.

    Instant Pot

    If using canned beans then put all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and cook on the slow cooker function set to 'normal' for 3-4 hours.

    If using dry beans then follow the same steps but add 1.5 additional cans of water.

    A roasted smoked ham hock on top of a big pot of slow cooked beans.

    If there's too much liquid

    If the stew hasn't reduced enough either midway through cooking or at the end then continue cooking and remove lid if using + up the heat being sure to stir often (scraping the bottom of the pot) if the heat is very high.

    If there's not enough liquid

    If using dry beans first check the doneness. If the beans are still hard, add another whole can. If they're almost done then add half a can.

    If the beans are done but the stew is just too thick - add water a little at a time - ¼ cup or so - until desired thickness is achieved.

    A smoked ham hock with tender soft meat shredded off the bone on top of slow cooked beans.

    After cooking the stew should be thick and the meat falling off the bone. Use two forks to shred the meat into the stew and then remove the bones and any big fatty bits.

    Serve hot with crusty bread. Hope you enjoy this winter comfort food classic!

    Recipe

    Slow cooked smoked ham hock being shredded off the bone with forks on top of slow cooked beans.
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Slow Cooked Pork & Beans with Smoked Ham Hock

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, International, Romanian
    Instant Pot, Oven, Slow Cooker
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 261kcal
    Slow cooked pork and beans with smoked ham hock is like Heinz baked beans for grown ups. Sweet beans and smoked pork are a comfort food classic.
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    Ingredients

    • 1 smoked ham hock
    • 2 cups dry white or brown beans or 3 small cans drained beans of choice
    • 1 red pepper finely diced
    • 2 yellow onions finely diced
    • 1 can diced tomatoes
    • 3.5 cans water 1 can water for canned beans / 2.5 cans water for dry beans*
    • 1.5 tablespoon sweet paprika
    • ½ teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon summer savoury or thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1.5 teaspoons salt To taste - I used about 1.5 teaspoons
    • 1 teaspoon sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 150 C / 300 F.
    • Put all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot like a Dutch oven and slow cook for 2 hours covered and 2 more hours uncovered.
    • If there is too much liquid at the end then continue cooking uncovered (in oven or on stovetop) while stirring often until reduced.

    Notes

    *  You may need to add more water if using dry beans. Check the doneness and adjust accordingly with the tips in the recipe above.
    See recipe notes for tips on using a slow cooker or Instant Pot.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 787mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1575IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.88 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cristina

      January 05, 2022 at 3:43 pm

      The ripeness of the tomatoes can really impact the end result. I sometimes add a few pinches of sugar too if it tastes too acidic. Tastes vary so adjustments often have to be made. Hope you enjoyed it after a bit of adjustment.

      Reply
    2. Bob Martin

      January 05, 2022 at 4:24 pm

      Recipe looks great, but I don’t know what “one can” of diced tomatoes is. In Cananada, anyway, we have two sizes for diced tomato cans: large (796 ml/28 fl oz) and smaller (398 ml/14 fl oz.). Which did you mean?

      Reply
      • Cristina

        January 05, 2022 at 3:36 pm

        Hey there Bob. Sorry for the confusion - I meant the standard small can. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

        Reply
      • Ajax

        October 18, 2023 at 11:39 am

        5 stars
        It's not fine dining Bob. Try the small...if you feel it's not enough add more. Real Romanian cooking is more of an approximation of measuring ingredients that usually comes through years of experience. I don't recall the last time I measured anything, unless I'm baking.

        Reply
    3. Greg Blayone

      April 15, 2022 at 12:47 pm

      Hi Cristina, This recipe looks absolutely amazing. Would you have the nutritional information for it? Being on a low fat/sugar diet I need to count those numbers. Thank you Greg

      Reply
      • Cristina

        January 30, 2023 at 12:18 pm

        Hi Greg sorry for the delay. Unfortunately I don't have nutritional information right now but it's something I'm working on for the future 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jeremy Kindervater

      April 03, 2023 at 2:21 am

      Hello! If you use dried beans, do you soak them overnight prior to cooking?

      Reply
      • Cristina

        April 07, 2023 at 10:16 am

        Hello! Yes indeed,I soak them for a bare minimum of 4 hours but ideally overnight. Of course the less they soak, the longer they will take to cook through.

        Reply
    5. Charlie

      January 18, 2024 at 8:04 pm

      This recipe looks great! Are you using cold-smoked ham hocks or hot- smoked (i.e., fully cooked) ham hocks in this recipe? I have a raw one (unsmoked, but I could easily throw it on the smoker) in the freezer that I’d like to use.

      Reply
      • Cristina

        January 19, 2024 at 8:13 am

        Hey Charlie. I used fully cooked smoked hocks! Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!

        Reply

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