Appalachian Soup Beans
Smoky, savory, and absolutely filled with the flavors of nostalgic Appalachian and Southern home cooking, my soup beans recipe is mostly traditional save for a few turbo boosting tricks I incorporate to make it extra tasty. Just be sure to have some cornbread, fresh bread, or biscuits waiting in the wings to help sop up the delicious broth. Also, hot sauce. Just saying …
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Soups
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound dried pinto beans (or bean of your choice; you can also use canned; see note)
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small white or sweet onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons chicken or pork stock concentrate
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika is nice for extra smoky flavor)
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 2 ham hocks
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter (or more if you like)
Instructions
- If using dried beans, place them in a pot of water to cover and add a little salt. Bring to a boil, boil gently for 10 minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the beans soak until tender and ready to cook; about three hours, but overnight is best. Drain and rinse them before using.
- Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until browned and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate for now, and leave the drippings behind.
- Add the onion to the bacon drippings in the pot (still over medium) and cook until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stock concentrate, bay leaves, paprika, and season with salt and pepper (be conservative with the salt for now). Cook for another minute or two.
- Add the beans to the pot, along with the ham hocks and chicken stock. Put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer your soup beans for about 2 hours, or until the beans are nice and tender.
- Before serving, remove the ham hocks and shred as much of the meat as you can, and add it back into the pot. Add the butter and allow it to melt into the broth. Taste and season as you like. I like to serve my soup beans with the reserved crispy bacon, some fresh cornbread or biscuits, and hot sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
If using canned beans, I typically use three or four cans, and I drain and rinse them very well before using.