Pinto beans, three ways
It doesn’t take much to please me. Give me a big, steaming bowl of charra beans, borracho beans or even plain, porky pinto beans and I will be delighted.
Beans were a big part of my diet growing up. At least once a week, we’d have beans for supper, either in the guise of bean salad or in big bowls served with a side of cornbread or tortillas. Sometimes it would be black beans and sometimes it would be navy beans but our core staple was pinto beans. As my mom says, “Pinto beans are close to a perfect food.”
Mom would soak them overnight and slow cook them all day with garlic, onions, spices and her secret ingredient—jalapeño juice from jalapeño pickles. She’d add pork if it was available, but it was the jalapeno juice that gave her beans their fantastic flavor.
When I was little, I figured that we ate beans all the time because we were poor. But when our economic situation turned for the better we continued to eat beans. Why? Because we just enjoyed eating them so much.
I wasn’t alone in loving these beans; I had a friend who claimed them as her favorite food as well and she was known for being a picky eater, especially when it came to eating at our house. See, my mom was a health-food nut who had a reputation of being quite liberal with the wheat germ. And (it seemed) that not a dish was prepared without the addition of the cardboard-flavored sawdust stuff. (I have to admit, however, I actually enjoy wheat germ now that I’m more sophisticated, but that will just be our secret.)
I hated it—but since she was my mom, unless I wanted to starve I had to eat everything she gave me. My particular friend, however, had the luxury of not eating one of mom’s wheat-germ concoctions. Without fail, she refused to touch just about everything my mom offered.
Except for mom’s pinto beans.
We couldn’t’ figure out why that was the only thing my friend would eat until she revealed her reason: it was just about the only thing my mom made that was wheat-germ free!
Beans are still one of my favorite meals. I make them a bit different from my mom but I don’t know if my method, which entails more work, is superior to hers or not.
Being a fan of a the addition of meat for flavor, I cook my beans with a slab of salt pork. I also add a puree of cooked bacon, tomatoes and cilantro at the end, and a bottle of beer if I’m feeling particularly decadent. But to be honest, a simple pot of pintos made in her method is equally delicious; especially with a thick wedge of cornbread that will not only soak up the juice but will also pair with the beans to make a complete protein.
I enjoy making a pot on Sunday afternoons, which makes for a satisfying Sunday supper. Leftovers are also welcome for easy lunches or quick mid-week dinners, especially since these beans are even better the next day.
But the best thing about eating beans is the joy they bring with both little effort and little price. And they fill up both my belly and my heart, with good, warm feelings of health, love and home. They are my comfort food.
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Big pot of pinto beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/4 pound salt pork
- 1/4 cup jalapeno pickle juice
- Salt taste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort your beans, then soak. You can either cover the beans with 1 inch of water and soak overnight or bring water to a boil, remove from heat and cover for 1 hour.
- Drain the beans and cover with 2 inches fresh water. Add to the pot the salt, the garlic, onion, and salt pork. Bring pot to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. After about an hour, stir in the jalapeño pickle juice, then continue cooking, until desired texture.Remove salt pork and serve.
Notes
Ingredients:
1 pot of beans
4 slices cooked bacon
1 (14-ounce) canned diced tomatoes with juices
3 jalapenos, seeded, stemmed, and chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro Place in a blender the bacon, tomatoes, jalapeños chipotle and cilantro. Stir into the pot of beans let simmer together for 20 minutes. Variation: Borracho beans
Add 12-ounces of dark beer, such as Modelo Negro, to the a la charra pot of beans, stir, and cook for 10 minutes.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’ve tried to make beans using dried beans several times and have pretty much given up. They’ve been bland and gross and sometimes not cooked through. I’ve been really disappointed because I love eating them when I’m out here in Texas (sorry to rub it in…yes I live in Austin where the eating is fabulous!). Can’t wait to give one (or all!) of your recipes a try.
Kelly–Yep, the two make a complete protein and is very vegetarian friendly if you don’t use bacon grease!
Just a Plane Ride Away–I hadn’t ever heard of it either until I was talking to her about her beans the other day. What a great tip!
Lisa is Cooking–Beyond being so nutritious, they’re also so creamy, soft and flavorful.
Monica–And that’s the best cool-weather meal!
Amy–I wouldn’t say no to some refried black beans made with lard!
Zora–Oh! A bean pot! You know, I have never cooked beans in one. Does it make the beans taste better?
Tommy–I don’t think it uses much thyme, or rather I’ve never seen any recipes that call for it. I could be mistaken, however.
Cheri–Thanks for reminding me–I should post a spoonbread recipe someday–I love that stuff! And black beans are pretty wonderful, too.
Mike–I can’t remember the last time I ate a Pappasitos, but good to know their wonderful beans still taste good.
Eat!–I know, isn’t it cool how you find them in cuisines from all over the world?
Heather B.–Cheese goes great with pinto beans. I also like sour cream.
Kassi–No, I never did eat at Merida’s that I can recall. Where is it?
Bee–I always forget how much I love them until fall rolls around, and then it’s just about all I eat.
Nicole–Nope, it sure doesn’t!
Cheryl A–You don’t have to puree it if the Monster prefers it chunky. Or you could do half and half.
Sara–That might have been the beans fault. When they’re too old, it takes forever for them to cook properly. But these have a lot of flavor.
Uh YUM…I’m going to cook some pintos this weekend!
We also have beans at least once a month. My family loves them no matter how they’re prepared. My husband thinks he’s funny, though, when he says, “this must be really hard to make, since we don’t have them enough!”
i thought adding jalepeno juice to pinto beans was MY secret 🙂
honestly, beans & cornbread were a staple during my starving college student days. it really doesn't get any better.