Slow Cooker Country Pork and White Beans

Eduardo birthday was Thursday. Fifty-two years old, my husband. I made his favorite — pernil, the full treatment, twenty-four hours of marinating with garlic and oregano and vinegar and olive oil, then six hours in the oven low and slow until the skin crisps and the meat falls apart and the whole house smells like the reason I married this man. Because yes, I married Eduardo partly because he loves my pernil, and I am not ashamed of this. A man who appreciates good food is a man who appreciates good things, and Eduardo has been appreciating me and my food for twenty-eight years.

The kids called. Miguel Jr. sang happy birthday, which was painful because Miguelito cannot sing but he tries with enthusiasm, and that counts for something. Rosa sent a card that arrived two days late because Rosa is always running behind — she teaches thirty children and mothers herself and barely sleeps, so I forgive the late card. David sent a photo from his restaurant kitchen with a little Puerto Rican flag stuck in a dessert he made for Eduardo. It was very sweet and also the dessert had foam on it, which I am choosing to ignore. Sofia made Eduardo a card by hand, with drawings, because Sofia is the baby and she still does things like make cards by hand and it makes my heart explode every time.

I also made arroz con gandules and tostones and ensalada de coditos — the macaroni salad with mayo and pimientos that Eduardo loves and his doctor would hate if his doctor knew how much mayo I use, which his doctor does not know because what happens at my table stays at my table.

We sat at the dinner table, just the three of us — me, Eduardo, and Sofia — and Eduardo blew out his candles and made a wish he will not tell me. I told him if he wished for a new car I was going to be very upset because our car is fine despite the noise it makes, and Eduardo said he did not wish for a car, and I said what did you wish for, and he said exactly this, meaning the table and the food and Sofia and me, and I had to leave the room because I was going to cry and Carmen Delgado-Ortiz does not cry over birthday candles. Except apparently she does.

Called Mami after dinner. She said, Tell Eduardo happy birthday and tell him he is too thin. Eduardo weighs a hundred and eighty pounds. Eduardo is not thin. But Luz Maria thinks everyone is too thin because her love language is feeding people until they cannot move, and I inherited that too. Happy birthday, mi vida. Fifty-two years of steady, boring, beautiful you.

A birthday dinner for the man who wished for exactly what he already had deserves something that cooks low and slow, something that fills the house with a smell that says you are home and you are loved for eight hours before anyone even sits down. This is the kind of food Luz María would approve of — the kind you make when feeding people is the whole point. Here is what I put in the slow cooker that morning, before the candles and the wish and the crying I was not going to do.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6–8

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs bone-in pork shoulder or country-style pork ribs
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
Fresh cilantro and white rice, for serving

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork on every side.
Sear for color. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork until deep golden brown on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Don’t rush this — the crust is where the flavor lives. Transfer to the slow cooker.
Soften the aromatics. In the same skillet, add the onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute more. Scrape everything into the slow cooker.
Build the pot. Add the drained white beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Nestle everything around the pork without completely covering it.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, until the pork is completely tender and pulling away from the bone.
Shred and finish. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Remove and discard the bay leaves and any bones. Shred the meat with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker. Stir to combine with the beans and broth. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve. Ladle over white rice and finish with a handful of fresh cilantro. This is the kind of dinner that makes people knock on your door.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Country Pork and White Beans — For the Man Who Wished for Exactly This