Harissa-rubbed pork shoulder with white beans and chard from Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over (page 209) by Alison Roman

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Ingredients

lemons
chard
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Chicories with preserved lemon, yogurt, and mint; Vinegared apples with persimmon and white cheddar

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

pastaplease on April 08, 2026

I actually bought this book because somewhere here at EYB I had seen this recipe mentioned and raved about. It's spicy! I used potatoes instead of beans -- the meat dried out a bit with the lid off 45 minutes from finish, but G liked it and I'd make again and maybe leave the lid on a bit longer or add more liquid (?).
jennifer_e2l4kf on March 27, 2026

This is a great one-pot dinner party meal! Always turns out great. I add extra beans to ensure enough.
kfreytag on February 23, 2026

Wow, this was delicious. Next time I’d like to double the beans and chard!
QuinceHouse on January 30, 2026

This was spectacular. No issues with it being dry. My pork shoulder was 5.6 lbs and bone in so I did a little extra rub and upped the water a bit. I also coated the pork in the rub the night before. Definitely recommend trying this one.
lindsey_5xsrit on January 21, 2026

I couldn’t get harissa so I swapped it for a mix of sriracha, smoked paprika, tomato paste and cumin. The overall flavor was amazing and the beans / chard were a hit! The times recommended overcooked our pork but with small tweaks I will definitely make it again (hopefully with harissa next time!)
Jenny on March 06, 2025

holubtsi - I did some research on this. The roast cooks slowly for 3 to 3.5 hours at 325. Then after you add the beans up the temp to 425 for 35-45 minutes - to reduce the liquid and allow the pork to become golden brown (that is the reason for the high temp at the end). Maybe your liquid amount was less (had already reduced) or your pot was too close to the heating element? I have read lots of reviews of this recipe online and everyone loves it. I would try lowing the rack and checking it every ten minutes - at first or perhaps place a piece of foil with some venting holes so the liquid can reduce and not burn the ingredients. I have made a similar recipe - and watched it closely and when I thought it was getting a little dark covered it.
holubtsi on March 06, 2025

I don't know if anyone else had this happen, but the recipe specifies to raise the heat to 425 for 40-45 mins at the end, after adding the beans. I followed the instructions perfectly, but after less than 30 mins at 425, the top of the pork, which is covered in the brown sugar harissa tomato paste, burned. It doesn't quite make sense, why it should roast at such a high temp, for so long.
bernalgirl on February 11, 2023

I had high hopes for this one but the brown sugar created more of a baked beans profile than I or my family prefers. I’d consider making this without the beans.
AndieEats on October 10, 2021

Smaller hunk of meat definitely recommend, so that each bite has some of the rub for flavour. Beans were absolutely delicious, and we wished we had double the amount!
Lottabooks on April 01, 2021

I've made this 3 times. This time I used a 2-1/2 lb. pork shoulder (cut the rub in half), and it just didn't work out. A larger cut of meat is necessary for the fat/juices to drip onto the beans. And, the meat was a bit dry even though I adjusted cooking times. To avoid beans burning I had to keep adding stock to the beans. Past attempts with larger cut of meat turned out well. Good make ahead dish - cook 2 days in advance, remove the pork, wrap and store separately from the beans. To serve, slice the pork and put on platter, drizzle with chicken stock and cover with foil, then warm in oven. Then, in a Dutch oven warm the beans, add the chard and preserved lemon. For serving, a shallow bowl or rectangular casserole dish (warmed) works best in order to retain the heat (beans first, then layer the pork, then sprinkle with cilantro and add lemon wedges to serve). Great with ATK escarole/orange/almond salad.
anya_sf on March 18, 2021

I had an 8 lb bone-in pork shoulder which I baked at 325 for 4.5 hours, then chilled overnight, skimmed some of the fat, then reheated for an hour the next day before adding the beans. The amount of harissa rub was ample for the larger roast; I used rose harissa as it's milder, but there was still a definite kick. I used 2 bunches of chard and would do so again. Note that if you're serving a crowd, you'll have plenty of pork but probably not enough beans and chard - we just had enough for 4 (but tons of leftover pork). This was really good.
Running_with_Wools on December 04, 2020

This is a flavor bomb. So good.
KarinaFrancis on August 15, 2020

Oh wow, this was great! The pork was tender and the beans soaked up all the delicious juices. A few little tweaks, I used the chard stalks as well as the leaves and added 2 tins of beans.
ChefBeccs on May 14, 2020

I subsititued the silverbeet for cabbage (which I cooked for a little longer). It was lovely. My family are a big fan of crackling so I sliced off the sheet of pork fat at the very end and popped it under the grill.
Astrid5555 on February 29, 2020

So, so good, whole family loved it, just perfect! Added my chard already with the beans, used rose harissa for the rub, and did not include the preserved lemon, because we don’t care that much for it.
stockholm28 on February 16, 2020

I liked this, but actually preferred the pork as leftovers, shredded on a sandwich with cole slaw. Next time I will cook it a bit longer with the intent to shred it rather than slice it.
averythingcooks on January 12, 2020

Rave reviews from this household! My roast was just under 3 lbs so I cut the paste rub in 1/2 (and used a 50/50 mix of hot & mild harissa - we find our jar of hot to be VERY powerful). I also used 1 19 oz can of navy beans. I have always either avoided recipes which call for wilting in fresh greens (or at least just skipped that step) but T talked me into using fresh spinach and I'm so glad I did - this is not a step I intend to skip in any dish again! Lastly, I made my own preserved lemons last weekend especially for this and they were delicious. Mine are sliced in the jar and I used 2 slices - I just need to be sure to mince them very finely - there was an occasional big hit of lemon in some bites. We absolutely loved this dish!
pattyatbryce on January 07, 2020

Great flavors and very easy. It makes a lot, so perhaps cut in half for a small family.
Zosia on December 23, 2019

As delicious as others have noted. I made this over 2 days, cooking the pork in an instant pot one day (55 minutes high pressure with natural release), roasting it with the beans on the second. I added baby spinach just before serving (in place of chard). Everyone enjoyed the pork but absolutely loved the beans.
Mrs. L on December 07, 2019

Loved this recipe. I thought the dish was going to be too salty as my preserved lemons were really salty, but when you took a bite of everything with the lemon it was fine.
Lsblackburn1 on November 24, 2019

Absolutely delicious! I had escarole that needed using up so I used that instead of the chard. Used 2 cans of great northern beans but may throw in an extra can tomorrow to stretch out the leftovers. The addition of the lemon peel really takes this to the next level!
leighwhit25 on November 13, 2019

Incredibly good and easy! I used some cooked Rancho Gordo white beans that I had and pork stock instead of water. That said, I imagine it would be just as good as written. The preserved lemon was a nice addition.