The Pioneer Woman’s cult following is justified. She has no time for snooty, precious, calorie-cutting, gluten-free blah blah blah. Every now and then, especially in winter, I’ll scour her site for something delicious. I was in the mood for pork n’ beans, but not just ordinary pork n’ beans. I wanted something a bit different.
I found this recipe on her site. I admit that I thumbed my nose at the idea of using canned pork n’ beans as the base for an otherwise astonishing dish, but I agree with her 100%: every attempt to simulate canned pork n’ beans usually turns out far more sophisticated than pork n’ beans should ever be. There is no healthier, fancier version of pork n’ beans. Sort of defeats the purpose.
I followed the recipe to the letter just to see what it would produce. With one exception. I cut up 3 American-style hot dogs (pork, bitches!) and added them to the base because that’s what mom did when I was a kid. The Pioneer Woman’s extra flair on top of all that resulted in something I’d serve, with great pleasure, to dinner guests.