Great Northern Bean Spread Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Make sure that there is twice as much water as beans because they will swell up.
• In a large cooking pot, pour in the cooking oil and toss in the smoked jowl pieces. Stir and allow them to sizzle over medium heat for 5 or 6 minutes. After they brown a bit, deglaze the pot with about 4 ounces of the chicken broth.
• Add the onion and allow to simmer until the onion is tender, stirring often.
• Rinse the beans in fresh water a final time and, after draining, add them, plus all the remaining ingredients into the pot. This should include the 48 ounces of water listed in the ingredients.
• Boil, covered, over low heat until beans are tender, stirring occasionally (about 2-3 hours).
• Serve with cornbread, fried potatoes, eggs and biscuits.
• If you wish, you can use chunks of ham or bacon instead of pork jowl.

Steps:

• In a medium sized sauce pan over med.-low heat add first three ingredients stirring often until onion has become tender and edges start to brown.
• Add remaining ingredients in order listed stir well. Continue to cook over med.-low heat for twenty minutes stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat pour off liquid into a bowl.
• Mash beans with potato masher adding liquid reserved in bowl gradually until desired texture is reached.