Pork & White Bean Stew!



This is a delicious stew with tender chunks of pork and white beans.  It has a little spice to it, but you can adjust that to your families taste.  This is one of those stews you simmer all afternoon to get the best results.  It smells so good cooking.   Make some Cornbread Hoe Cakes or Aunt Vel's Sour Cream Cornbread to go with the stew and you have a wonderful meal! 

 Here is what you will need:

1  1/2 to 2 lbs boneless pork loin, cubed (could use pork loin chops)

1/4 vegetable or canola oil

1 Tbs. bacon drippings

salt

black pepper

seasoned salt

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 lb. navy or great northern beans

2 quarts water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder (optional)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the cubed pork in the oil and the bacon drippings.   The bacon drippings give it a really good flavor, but you can leave it out and it's still good.  Sprinkle the meat with salt, black pepper and seasoned salt to your taste.  When the meat is starting to brown, add the onion and celery and just cook them a little with the meat, just until they are starting to get tender. Add the garlic right at the end of the browning so it doesn't burn.

Wash and pick through the beans.   Add the beans and all of the rest of the ingredients except the parsley to the pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down to medium low, cover and simmer for about three to four hours.   Check for water once every hour or so.   It might need a little added as it cooks.  It should be fairly thick when it's done.    Also taste the last hour to check the seasoning.  You might need to add salt,  but I didn't, because I had seasoned the meat fairly liberally.   It's done when the beans are nice and soft.  White beans do not take quite as much time as something like pintos.  I used navy beans and they cook fairly quickly.  Mine was done in 3 hours, once the beans were added.

 Stir in the fresh parsley right before serving!  Fry some cornbread, pour the sweet tea and enjoy!