Super Black Bean Soup
Submitted by clink
Black bean soup built on a foundation of salt pork, ham hock, and aromatics, slow-simmered until the beans collapse, then pureed smooth and finished with sherry and wine vinegar. A Cuban-style classic that makes 16 generous servings.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsThis is the kind of black bean soup you cannot fake with canned beans. The depth comes from rendering salt pork into the oil at the start, then building everything else on that pork fat. A whole ham hock simmers in the pot for hours, giving up its collagen and smoke into the broth before the meat gets shredded back in.
The finishing move is what separates great Cuban-style black bean soup from a decent pot of beans: wine vinegar and dry sherry stirred in at the very end. The acid cuts the richness, the sherry adds nutty depth, and together they make the whole thing sing instead of sitting heavy on the spoon.
Don’t skip the puree step. Whirling about three quarters of the soup smooth and leaving the rest chunky gives you that signature velvety texture with bean bits to chew on.
This soup tastes better the next day. The flavors marry overnight in the fridge, and the texture thickens up beautifully.
Chef Tips
- Sort the dry beans carefully. Pebbles hide in nearly every bag and one bad bite ruins the meal.
- Skim the fat float that rises after the beans finish cooking. Salt pork and ham hock both render hard; the soup is much cleaner-tasting without that layer.
- Add the vinegar and sherry only at the end after reheating. Boiling them out kills the brightness they’re meant to add.
- Pass condiments at the table: chopped raw onion, sour cream, cilantro, and rice. Each spoonful builds differently.
Variations
- Drop a smoked turkey leg in place of the ham hock for a leaner but still smoky pot.
- Stir a chopped chipotle in adobo into the puree for smoky heat.
- Skip the meat entirely and use vegetable broth with smoked paprika and a bay leaf for a vegetarian version that still has depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a 10 to 12 quart pan over medium heat. Add salt pork, ham, onion, garlic, celery.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegs. are very soft and lightly browned.
Rinse and sort beans, drain, and add to pan along with red pepper, cumin and broth.
Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and simmer until bean mash easily--2 to 3 hrs.
Shred meat andamp; return to pan--discard skin andamp; bones.
Skim and discard fat from soup.
Whirl soup, a portion at a time, in blender or food processor until smooth.
Stop here if serving next day.
Cover and refrigerate.
Return soup to pot and heat to steaming, stirring often.
Blend in vinegar and sherry.
Pass condiments at table to add to individual servings.
Comments
