Is there always Pork in cans of Pork and Beans?  Does that little tiny hunk of fat really add flavor?

Perhaps it will comfort you to know that yes, indeed, the pork is placed into the can for flavor. Pork and beans are actually cooked in the can. One fairly large piece of pork is placed in the can before cooking. After being heated during processing, it melts down to the size you see in the can, its flavor having permeated the beans.

A Consumer Response Representative at Quaker Oats, the parent company of Stokely-Van Camp, states that they receive quite a few inquiries about the pork from fans of Van Camp’s Pork and Beans. These inquiries include more than a few angry missives from those who opened a can that did not contain the piece of pork. 

Do manufacturers have to include a piece of pork to call the product “Pork and Beans”? Not really. Some producers use rendered pork liquid instead of a solid piece of meat, and are legally entitled to call their product “Pork and Beans.”