Introduction
Folks, if you won’t eat, or have never eaten, a meal like this, then you just aren’t an Appalachian hillbilly. This plate is as honest and simple as it gets: pinto beans cooked to perfection with rich hog jowl bacon, fried taters with onion in them, and a wedge of cornbread served with a quarter of a big sweet onion on the side. It’s the kind of meal that fills your belly, warms you up from the inside out, and makes you feel right at home.
This is the kind of pot that doesn’t just show up for one supper and disappear. The pinto beans and hog jowl bacon are on their third day on this pot, which means the flavors have had time to meld and deepen. Each time the beans are warmed back up, the broth gets a little richer, the bacon infuses a bit more smoky goodness, and the whole dish tastes just a touch better than the day before. It’s the kind of slow, steady cooking that feels like it’s been passed down through generations.
Alongside the beans, you’ve got fried taters with onion in them — a simple pan of potatoes sliced and cooked until the outside is golden and crisp in spots, while the inside stays soft and tender. The onions cook down until they’re sweet and just a little bit caramelized, adding both flavor and a bit of texture. Pile those taters next to a scoop of beans and you’ve got a plate that’s as down-home as it gets.
No Appalachian supper like this would be complete without cornbread. A good, sturdy piece of cornbread is perfect for soaking up that bean broth and for enjoying alongside the fried taters. Then there’s the quarter of a big sweet onion on the side — cool, crisp, and juicy. You can nibble on it as you eat or chop it up and scatter it over the beans or taters. It cuts through the richness and adds a fresh bite that makes the whole plate sing.
This isn’t a fussy restaurant dish. It’s a working person’s meal, meant to be cooked in a well-used pot and served on a plate big enough to hold plenty. The steps are straightforward, but paying attention to little things — how tender the beans are, how golden the taters get, how you arrange everything on the plate — makes the difference between “just food” and the kind of meal you remember.
Ingredients
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