Just Like Mom's - Green Beans, Potato, Pork

This weekend is the annual Colonial Half Marathon and 5k and my parents and grandparents have come into town every year that I've been at William & Mary to run it together.

In honor of my family coming to visit me this weekend, I thought I'd post this meal I made last week. Growing up, one of my favorite meals was a mixture of equal parts green beans, potatoes, and pork, all mixed up and cooked to tenderness in a beef broth and soy sauce mixture (gives it that little extra asian flair). While I will never be able to make it like my mother does, I at least gave it a try!

The biggest mistake I made was the meat I used... I couldn't remember exactly what kind of pork meat my mom would use, but all I remember is small chunks of pork (about 2" pieces) with a bone inside. I don't have access to an asian foods store like we do back home, so I took my chances at bloom and used Pork Neck. I will never use pork neck again - the meat was only okay, and there were so many little chunks of bone that got mixed in and had to be picked out. Lesson learned: don't use pork neck! (what is it used for normally, anyhow??)

GREEN BEANS, POTATO, PORK

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh green beans
1-2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1-2" pieces (or use angus beef cubes)
4 Yukon potatoes, cut into 1-2" chunks
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 (12oz) can beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Pick stems off of the ends of the green beans and break them in 1" pieces. Boil green beans until halfway cooked.
Wash potatoes and chop them into 1-2" cubes, (the smaller the size of the potato, the easier and quicker it cooks!)
In a large bowl, mix together the green beans, potatoes, and onion.
Place the pork pieces into the Crock Pot.
Pour in a little beef broth to make sure the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot once the remaining ingredients are added.
Layer the green beans, potato, and onion mixture on top of the pork.
Pour in the beef broth and soy sauce; distribute as evenly as possible over the food.
Add water if necessary. The Crock Pot should be about 1/2 full of liquid to make sure everything gets cooked well!
Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

This is best served with warm rice (brown or white will do)! And personally, I think the broth is one of the
best parts of this meal.

My mom made a big pot of her version of this meal and is bringing it to me when she comes today :) can't wait!