Guatemalan White Bean and Pork Spine Stew

Frijoles blancos con espinazo de cerdo is a comforting Guatemalan stew of white beans cooked together with pork spine, with a deep, hearty flavor.

It’s a very nourishing homestyle dish, valued for the flavor the pork spine gives the beans’ broth during slow cooking.

Guatemalan White Bean and Pork Spine Stew

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Prep Time: 8 hours
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 10 hours
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Guatemalan

Print Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 2 cups of white beans, soaked
• 800 g of pork spine, in pieces (about 1.75 lb)
• 1 of onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 sprig of cilantro
• to taste of salt and pepper
• 8 cups of water

---

Instructions

1. Cook the pork spine, boil the pork spine in the water with salt, onion, and garlic, over low heat until tender.
2. Add the beans, add the soaked white beans to the broth with the pork spine.
3. Cook, cook over low heat until the beans are tender, about 60 to 90 minutes, adding water if needed.
4. Add aromatics, add the cilantro toward the end of cooking.
5. Adjust seasoning, correct the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve, serve hot, in a deep bowl.

Tips for getting it right

• Soaking the white beans the night before reduces cooking time.
• Cooking the pork spine first lets its flavor blend into the broth before adding the beans.
• Pork spine adds a rich, fatty flavor that enriches the whole stew.
• It’s a very nourishing dish, ideal for cold days.

Traditional variations

• It’s a very popular homestyle dish throughout Guatemala.
• Some families add chayote or carrot to include more vegetables in the stew.

How to serve

Frijoles blancos con espinazo is served hot, in a deep bowl, with tortillas.

It’s a traditional homestyle dish, very nourishing and comforting in Guatemalan cooking.

Recommended sides

• Corn tortillas
• White rice

Did you know?

Pork spine is an economical cut widely used in Guatemala to flavor broths and bean stews.

It’s a dish that combines protein and legumes in a single preparation, making it very nutritionally complete.