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I was in the mood to experiment tonight. I love BBQ pulled pork sandwiches piled high with pickles and onions served with a side of baked beans. So I thought…why not combine the baked beans with the meat? I named the dish Sloppy Jims (after my father-in-law) because they start with a batch of Jimbo’s Baked Beans.

The concept was good, but the first result needed some tweaking (according to my husband food judge).

I put half a batch of beans into a Crock-Pot. Then, I rubbed seasoning on a pork butt and seared all sides in a hot pan. I placed the pork into the Crock-Pot (fat side up) and warmed it on high for 4 1/2 hours. I sliced off the layer of fat, then shredded the pork in the Crock-Pot and let it warm on low for another 30 minutes. I served it on hamburger buns with pickles and onions.

When my husband took his first bite, he had a puzzled look on his face. I hadn’t served him the normal zest that he’s accustomed to. After dissecting each bite for about 10 minutes, we figured out what happened.

Unfortunately, this is such a fatty piece of meat that the oil diluted the seasonings. I couldn’t drain the fat like I usually do when making pulled pork because it had soaked into all of the tasty baked beans sauce.

I went back and tasted the other half of baked beans that I didn’t put in the Crock-Pot, and they were great…still full of flavor…completely different than this pork sandwich.

So the original recipe has been revised to ensure it’s full of Zestuous flavors.

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Sloppy Jims

Ingredients 

  • 3- lb. pork butt
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Onion salt
  • Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 4 cups 1/2 batch Jimbo’s Baked Beans
  • Hamburger buns
  • White onion, sliced
  • Pickles

Instructions 

  • Season all sides of the pork with salt, pepper, onion salt and garlic powder. Heat a large skillet to medium high.
  • Place the seasoned pork in the hot skillet and sear on all sides.
  • Place the pork into a Crock-Pot with water, soy sauce and liquid smoke. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, until tender.
  • Remove the pork from the Crock-Pot and place on a carving board. Cut off all visible fat. Then, shred the meat.
  • Clean the Crock-Pot and place the meat back inside. Pour in the baked beans. Heat on warm for about 30 minutes.
  • Serve on toasted hamburger buns with onions and pickles.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

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Christie Vanover

About Zestuous

Hi. I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and have dozens of top ten category finishes. People know me as the girl who is forever hovering over a grill, smoker or campfire with tongs in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.


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3 Comments

  1. Never thought of using beans in making a pulled pork sandwich, but if it is as tasty as your picture looks-I would say it is a winner. Thanks for sharing-Buzz