I can see that this is an old topic, however my family has made a type of Navy Bean stew like this for as long as I can remember. My dad will soak the beans overnight in the corned beef stock, and then cook the beans in it as well, he adds diced tomasoes, carrots, celery, and onions. If we have any leftover corned beef he adds that as well. Now there is all this talk about not using the stock because of the nitrates in it from the meat, however I don’t see what the big deal is all about because you don’t seem to have a problem eating the meat that had the nitrates added to it. Do all the nitrates cook out of the meat?