substitute for pork in bean recipes?

[Summertime Mommy]

We are trying to add more bean recipes to our menu, but we don't eat pork, and a lot of bean recipes call for ham. When we omit the pork, the recipe seems too bland. I have tryed just adding more salt, but that doesn't really help. Is there a good substitute for pork when making beans?

[Sayward]

Liquid Smoke will rock your beans.

[Magelet]

I don't eat pork. what I like to do is add enough salt, a little acid (both at the end of cooking) and enough fat. That's one of the big things that pork adds to beans, is fat to carry the flavors and make it more digestible. If you want a meatier taste, cook it in beef or chicken stock, which is always yummy. Also making sure to add plenty of spices, some of them while the beans are cooking. you may need a little more spices in a recipe if your taking the ham out. for a smoked flavor (like from bacon) try adding some smoked paprika.

[Liquesce]

Originally Posted by Sayward

Liquid Smoke will rock your beans.

: Mostly I make bean dishes that don't call for pork in the first place, but in the dishes that do a little smoke flavoring, salt, and fat pretty much cover the essentials of why the pork is there in the first place. It works well for split pea soup recipes calling for ham, too.

Not pork-substitute related, but generous amounts of well-caramelized onions go really far towards taking the bland out of a lot of bean dishes as well.

Also, you might consider looking at recipes specifically aimed at vegetarians. I was a vegetarian when I was learning to cook, and diet-wise was heavily reliant on beans and legumes, so for me the whole idea of bean dishes that call for meat at all is sort of a novelty ... it's just not how I learned to prepare them, you know? Vegetarian cookbooks are awesome resources for learning what to do with beans as a stand-alone protein.

[CookiePie]

Mountian Rose Herbs sells smoked sea salt that also works well in bean dishes!

[Artichokie]

some really nicely caramelized onion may give the depth of flavor you are looking for and some great texture, too.

[cristeen]

You can also use any smoked meat - turkey is probably the easiest to find.