Pigeon Forge Pintos
Submitted by Jacqueline
Pigeon Forge pintos, a Tennessee-style baked bean with pinto beans, salt pork, molasses, brown sugar, and dry mustard slow-baked for 6 to 8 hours. Smoky Mountain comfort in a bean pot.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
9 hrsREADY
9 hrsNamed after the gateway town to the Great Smoky Mountains, these baked pinto beans are pure Tennessee soul food. Dried pintos get a quick soak, then bake low and slow for 6 to 8 hours with salt pork, molasses, brown sugar, and dry mustard until they’re creamy, smoky, and thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
The salt pork gets scored in deep gashes every half inch before being pushed down into the beans. Those cuts let the fat render slowly into the beans over the long bake, flavoring them from the inside. The rind stays exposed on top, and uncovering the pot for the last hour lets it crisp up into a salty, crunchy cap that’s the best part of the whole pot.
The old-timers’ test for bean doneness before baking: take a few on a spoon and blow on them. When the skins burst and curl back, they’re ready for the pot.
Pro Tips
- The blow test is real and it works. If the skins don’t split when you blow, the beans need more boiling time before baking
- Add water throughout the bake as needed to keep the beans moist. They absorb a lot of liquid over 6 to 8 hours
- Uncover the pot for the last hour. This crisps the salt pork rind and thickens the sauce
- Use a proper bean pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid for even, gentle heat
Variations
- Swap salt pork for thick-cut bacon for a smokier, more accessible flavor
- Add a chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic to the pot before baking
- Stir in a splash of bourbon with the molasses for an Appalachian kick
Ingredients
Directions
Wash beans, discarding imperfect ones.
Cover with water; bring to the boiling point, boil 2 minutes, then soak 1 hour or more.
Without draining, cook slowly until the skins burstwhen you take of few on a spoon and blow on them.
Drain, reserving the cooking water, cover salt pork with boiling water.
Let stand 2 minutes, drain, and cut 1-inch gashes every ½ inch without cutting through the rind.
Put the beans in the bean pot.
Push the pork down into the beans until all but the rind is covered.
Mix remaining ingredients.
Add 1 cup of the reserved water and bring to the boiling point.
Pour over the beans and add enough more water to cover the beans.
Cover the bean pot.
Bake 6 to 8 hours at 250 degrees F.
Add water as needed to keep the beans moist.
Uncover the last hour of baking so that the rind will be brown and crisp.
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