Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried navy beans
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage, divided
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced and divided
  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves

Method

  • Sort and wash navy beans, and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand for 8 hours. Drain the beans.
  • Preheat oven to 275°.
  • Combine 2 teaspoons sage, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds, and 3 minced garlic cloves. Rub sage mixture over pork. Place pork, navy beans, remaining 1 teaspoon sage, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 5 minced garlic cloves, 4 cups water, and bay leaves in Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 275° for 4 hours or until pork is very tender. Discard bay leaves. Pull pork apart into chunks, and serve with bean mixture.