A pork shoulder can be intimidating. It's a huge hunk of meat, and the idea of undercooking something like that can be overwhelming. The good news is it's one of the easiest cuts of meat to cook, especially in the slow cooker! The recipe below uses beer to braise the pork, breaking it down with low and slow heat until it is oh-so-tender and shreds easily with a fork.
We use dried beans for this recipe because they soak up all of the porky flavor of the broth as they cook. If you want to substitute canned beans, add them in for the last hour so they heat through without turning to mush.
Slow Cooker Beer Braised Pork & Beans
6
15 minutes
6 hours
6 hours 15 minutes
2 12-ounce bottles beer, preferably a lager or wheat beer
3 cups water
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork butt
1 lb dried black beans, rinsed
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsps ancho chili powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
1/2 cup sour cream (optional garnish)
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (optional garnish)
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (optional garnish)
In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beer, water, pork, black beans, onion, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and salt.
Set the slow cooker to high and cook, covered, for 5-6 hours, until the pork is tender and shreds easily when pierced with a fork.
Using tongs, carefully remove the pork and allow to cool slightly. Once the pork is cool enough, shred with two forks.
Return the shredded pork back to the pot and ladle the soup into individual bowls.
Top with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro (if using).
