Braised Pork with Gigantes

The initial influence for this comforting cold-weather rendition of pork and beans is Mexican. At the restaurant, this comes through in the garnish, a homemade chicharrón made by slow cooking in oil at a low temperature, then deep-frying some of the pig’s skin. I love the contrast of pork textures—the crisp crackling on top of the melting, tender confited belly. For the home cook, this is an unnecessary step (or it could be accomplished by chopping a bag of pork rinds). Although you could u