Mexican Pork and Beans in the Slow Cooker

I am so in love with this new taco recipe.  It's super easy and makes a ton of food, and the filling is also flexible - if you don't want to do tacos, you could serve it in tortas, with eggs, or wrapped up in a burrito.  This is a great dump-and-cook recipe for the slow cooker - there's no real prep, just stirring the sauce ingredients together and then pouring them over the pork and beans.  Dried pinto beans will certainly work here, but for a really special treat, try using heirloom beans.  I had a bag of Rancho Gordo yellow eye beans on hand, and they cooked up with a velvety texture and fantastic flavor.  Even with paying extra for special beans, this is still a bargain meal since pork butt is an inexpensive cut of meat.

Mexican Pork and Beans in the Slow Cooker (adapted from Pinch of  Yum, original recipe here)
Serves lots

2 pounds pork butt or pork shoulder
1 pound dry yellow eye beans (or use pinto), rinsed and drained
6 ounces (3/4 cup) beer (measure the liquid, not the foam)
15 ounce can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 very large or 2 medium jalapenos, minced (remove the ribs and seeds if you want a milder dish)
1 T chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-1/2 cups water
Warm tortillas and taco fixings, to serve

1. Place the pork butt in the slow cooker, and pour in the beans around the pork.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beer, tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, chili powder, salt, cumin, cumin seeds, and water.  Stir everything together, and then pour over the pork and beans.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place in a bowl. Shred with two forks, and then return to the slow cooker.  If things seem dry, add a little more hot water.
5. Serve in warm tortillas with your favorite taco fixings.