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This slow cooker beans recipe is a perfect weeknight dish. Your house will smell amazing as it’s cooking and it will fill you up with the very best tastes of Hurst’s Great Northern Beans. There’s a meatless option too, so everyone will love this recipe!
A few years ago when the Superbowl was in Indianapolis I had the privilege of attending the Taste of the NFL event that ran in conjunction with the game festivities. While there I was able to taste and sip my way through the best that chefs from Indiana had to offer. It was quite the culinary experience. While there I met Al Roker, Ann Curry, Ted Allen and Buddy Valastro aka The Cake Boss. For me this was about as close to a perfect night as you can get. See my post ALL about it HERE
My point in telling you all of this is to get to the part about my favorite bite of the night. I tasted every sample there. There was one representing every team in the NFL. My favorite, as well as the favorite of those I was with, was the dish that featured Great Northern Beans topped with a sizzling slice of pork belly. Simple, comforting and delicious, that slow cooker beans dish won me over and I have been thinking of it ever since.
The recipe I am sharing today makes use of Hurst’s Hambeens Great Northerns with ham flavor and spice packet included. Add the meat of your choice to this OR no meat at all. Use a ham bone, leftover ham from the holidays or do what I did: roast up a bit of pork belly to add to the top like cracklins.
These slow cooker beans are subtly spiced with cinnamon with just a touch of brown sugar. Better than your run of the mill ham and beans. I would and have served this for guests. I even send them home with the leftovers!
I hope you love this slow cooker beans recipe!
Total Servings 6
5 minPrep (inc. refrigeration & rest time)
8 hrCook Time
8 hr, 5 Total Time
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz bag of Hurst Hambeens
- 4 C water
- 4 C vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 lb of cooked meat, optional (ham, ham bone, jowl OR no meat at all!)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 2 TB brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves, dried
- 1 tsp kosher salt (taste before serving to see if you need more)
- 1 tsp of black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- 1 tsp of seasoning packet
Instructions
- Rinse beans, discarding any that are bad, as well as unwanted debris.
- Add rinsed beans to a 6 qt slow cooker.
- Add water, stock, sugar, shallot, meat (optional), garlic, peppercorns, salt, bay leaf, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, butter and 1 tsp of seasoning.
- Place lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8-9 OR until beans are soft and liquid is absorbed.
- Do not lift the lid. (It can add up to 30 minutes of cooking time each time you lift.)
- Allow to cool 15 minutes and give the beans a light mash.
- Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
- Serve as a base for pork cracklins, the meat you cooked with it, or no meat at all!
