Pork and Beans Casserole

You can serve this casserole with mashed potatoes or steamed cabbage and corn bread. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over each serving.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 (3-pound) pork roast
• 1 (10 ½-ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 (15-ounce) cans pork and beans
• Optional: Barbecue sauce, to taste

1. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add the bacon to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes, or until the bacon begins to render its fat. Add the pork roast, fat side down. Cover and cook for ½ hour. Turn the roast; cover and cook for another ½ hour.
2. Mix together the soup, ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar. Pour over the meat. Reduce the slow cooker setting to low and cook covered for 6 hours or until meat pulls apart and registers 165°F in the center of the roast.
3. Lift the meat from the slow cooker crock and transfer it to a cutting board; shred the meat using two forks, removing and discarding any fat.
4. Skim and discard any fat from the top of the meat juices in the slow cooker, and then remove and discard all but 1 cup of those juices. Stir the shredded meat and pork and beans into the juices. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add barbecue sauce to taste if desired.

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Ground black pepper contains anticaking agents that can cause stomach upset for some people and can also change the flavor. In addition, whole peppercorns retain the succulent black pepper flavor, which tends to dissipate once the pepper is ground, which is why dishes always taste better when you grind the pepper yourself.