Black Bean Soup with Smoked Pork Chops {Venezuelan Style}

This is a recipe from my childhood!

We ate it once a week. My mom always used to make a huge pot so the next day we reheated leftovers, in a pan with a little bit of butter, and we ate it again with cheese and arepas (the round things in the pic). Perfect as a breakfast to start the day full of energy.

These black beans in Venezuela are called “Caraotas”. They are super popular. I think it is because they are very cheap, you get them everywhere, like most beans are a good source of protein and are also delicious.

You can find them in many dishes such as empanadas “domino” with white cheese … got it? For the combination of white and black from the beans and cheese. Some people eat them with pasta {I never ate them this way}, salads, dips and of course as a soup.

I used the Ninja Cooking System to cook the beans. I can tell you that is pretty convenient. I started soaking the beans in the afternoon. As I went to bed I turned on the slow cooker on low. When I woke up they were ready. I just add the vegetables, pork chops and seasonings. Done… It was ready in 30 minutes. Yes, everyone ate lunch early, for a chance. What I like the most is that you can switch from slow cooking, to stovetop or to bake in no time, with no hassle and without messing dozens of things.

Keep these tips in mind when you prepare any kind of beans:

My family likes to eat this soup with white rice and fried plantains or tostones.

Black Bean Soup with Smoked Pork Chop

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 8 hours 30 minutes

Total: 9 hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb of dried black beans
• 8 cups of water or more if needed
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 3 Naturally Hickory Smoked Pork Chops ,cut into cubes
• 2 mini sweet peppers ,cut into small cubes
• 2 tablespoon of corn oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Cilantro (opcional)

Instructions

• Rinse the black beans under running water. Take out dirty, pebbles and broken beans.
• In a large pot add the beans and water and let them soak for 2-4 hours. Beans will swell to at least twice their dry size.
• Transfer the beans to your slow cooker. Make sure to have enough water to cover by about an inch. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.
• When slow cooking time ends set the pot in "stovetop" mode on low. Add the salt and sweet mini peppers. Cover and continue cooking.
• In a blender put the oil, onion and garlic. Blend on medium speed until everything is well combined.
• In a large skillet, over medium high heat, sauté pork chops (including bones) for 5-8 minutes or until golden. Remove from skillet and place on paper towel to remove the excess oil. Right away, add the onion and garlic mixture to the same skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Put back in the pork chops, cook for 1 minute. Add this mixture to the beans. Taste testing for additional salt; cover and simmer for 30 more minutes. Remove pork chop's bones and discard.
• Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve hot.

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