Pork and Beans

I've been going to a lot of parties lately. This month I've been to bridal showers, birthday parties, dinner parties...and every single time I end up bringing party leftovers to the house--which eventually end up in the trash because we forget to eat it. The #1 leftover I tend to bring home is baked ham. My family loves to bake hams, but we always end up with tons of leftovers. The following recipe is excellent for that baked ham you have in your fridge. You can substitute the ham with cooked pork loin or pulled pork.

INGREDIENTS

• 2lb Navy Beans (about 4 cups)
• 6 cups water
• 2 pints chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 can beef consomme
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium Onion
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Shallots, diced
• 1/2 cup Whiskey
• 2 tsp Chicken Base (bouillon)
• 1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 3 Carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup Worchester Sauce
• 3 dashes Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 4 cups (or more) of cooked baked ham, pulled pork or pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces.

1. Soak the beans overnight in a pot of water. Drain.
2. Place navy beans, 6 cups water, beef consomme and chicken broth in large pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours.**Make sure you have about one inch of liquid above the beans, if not, add more water** DO NOT ADD SALT.
3. In the meantime, cook the bacon in a non-stick skillet. Drain bacon in a paper towel and set aside (do not discard the bacon grease).
4. In the bacon grease, saute the onion, garlic and shallots on medium heat.
5. Once the onions are tender (about 4 minutes), add the chicken base and seasoning salt to taste. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour the whiskey in the skillet and let it get hot. Move the skillet away from the burner and light the whiskey and flambe until the fire goes out. Please be careful when doing this.
6. Add the onion flambe and its juices to the simmering beans and the remaining ingredients: baked ham, crispy bacon, pepper, carrots, Worchester sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar.
7. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes, and add more water, if necessary. Taste beans and add salt, if necessary.
8. When ready to serve, garnish the beans with finely chopped parsely and serve with homemade bread. A good hearty beer such as Guinness or a Michelob Amber Stock goes great with this meal.