Baked beans have been a staple of mines for a long, long time.
It was a simple filler for me Dad growing up.
And many 12-hour shifts cooking in restaurants was ended with a tin of Hienz baked beans on toast with cheese over the journey when I got home.
I think I have finally nailed this home cooked version.
Smoked hock
1kg pork hock.
1 tspn italian spices
1 tspn ginseng season
Tomato sauce
2.5kg tin crushed tomatoes
2.5kg tin fagioli beans (brinned)
3 onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, pelled and chopped
1 Tbsn minced garlic
1 Tbsn italian dried herbs
1 tspn masterfoods season
A good sprig of chopped sage
Salt and pepper
Method
We’re gonna smoke your pork hock here, but if you want to just buy one and be lazy, go right ahead.
Firstly, marinate your hock in oil, italian herbs, ginsing season, and master season.
I fired up my portable wood heater that has a hole in the roof. I laced it with wattle, as wattle has a really high burning temperature.
I got the fire just past the rage stage, where brightly colored coal rocks are pumping out the heat but minimal on the flames.
I then placed my marinated hock on top of a good-sized flat rock.
Fat and oil pissed and ozeed out everywhere, which was perfect. I placed a metal bowl over the top to trap as much smoke as possible in the chamber, and went and watched some football for half an hour.
Upon my return to the hock, I carefully removed the bowl with tongs, rotated the hock, then placed the lid back on after giving the fire a poke with my stick.
After another half hour or so, I rotated the hock again, closed the door on my stove, and let it smoke away overnight. Bare in mind I started this process at around 4.30 pm. And I then retreaved the hock at around 6 am.
Allow your hock to rest and set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then take it out and peel away the outer crust.
As much as I wanted to use the skin, which had been turned into carbon, clearing away as much of this as possible is important. We want a smoky flavour, not big chunks of carbanated pork skin in our baked beans.
Now for the sauce part….
Take a large pot with a reasonably thick base, bring it up to a medium heat, squirt with a little oil, then drop in your onions and carrots and stir with the herbs.
Saute your pot until the onion starts to achieve translucency, then add the garlic, stir through, and saute for a further 2 minutes.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of water, and place in the hock. Stir through and drop the temp to a low to medium heat.
Make sure your stiring the pot regularly as it comes up to temperature. I have always found the tomato sauces like to burn the most when they are coming up to temperature.
Once the pot reaches a light simmer, continue to stir while cooking for 2 hours.
Allow the pot to cool for half an hour, then place into the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the hock from the pot, place in back onto the stove on a low heat, apply your strained fagiolis, stir, and slowly bring the pot back to a simmer.
Whack some gloves on and strip the hock of all its meat. Chop the meat up and place it back into your beans, and then give the hock to your dog if you have one.
Simmer your beans for half an hour, then season to taste, and you are good to go.
Best served on toasted crusty sourdough with Mersey valley sharp and crumbly cheddar – Eggs, too 🤘
#Pickle pro-tip: As much as I always rate cooking as much as you possibly can from scratch, I’m not a big fan of cooking from dried beans. I always go for pre-cooked ones, in brine. The textures is always nicer, theres less wait time, and they are nowhere near as pasty. Hats of to you if your bean game is top notch, but dont be discouraged by getting your beans pre cooked in brine.
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