Frijoles Charros or Cowboy Beans
This dish can easily stand on its own as a main course or as a complement to a meat dish. If you eat this dish as a main course, I suggest serving warm tortillas, butter, and sea salt. Top the beans with fresh diced avocado, queso fresco, pickled onions, and of course, enjoy with an ice-cold beer such as Shiner Bock or Dos Equis. If you have any leftovers, these beans freeze well for up to 4 months.
Servings 8 people
Equipment
- large pot with lid
- mixing bowls
- broiler safe pan
- chef knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Soak Beans
- 2½ cups Pinto's, dried
Main ingredients
- 3 slices Bacon, thick cut
- 1 whole Onion, diced
- 2 cloves, large Garlic, minced
- ½ cup Shiner Bock, (Dos Equis Amber beer or your favorite medium-dark beer)
- 2 whole Jalapeño, use a knife and cut small slits in the side Serrano’s are a great substitute, but be aware they are spicier than jalapeno. Use one large serrano instead.
- ½ cup Tomato, puree
- 1 tsp oregano preferrably Mexican
- 2 tbsp Southwest seasoning (see recipe in this blog)
- 1 quart Chicken stock(Homemade, Better than Boullion or your favorite) (Adjust the amount to cover the beans completely by 1½ to 2 inches)
Garnish (Optional)
- ½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 4 oz can Hatch, chile green roasted and peeled
- ½ cup Brisket, smoked or pulled pork
Instructions
Clean the Pintos
- Before cooking beans, rinse and clean dried beans, and discard any stones, wood, or foreign objects.
Soak Overnight
- Once you have filled a pot with the beans, cover with 2-3 inches of cold water, pick out any bean floaters, and discard. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The beans will absorb water overnight and double in size.
Start the Cook
- Cook the bacon and reserve. (You can chop the bacon and add it back in at the end)
- Using a heavy-bottomed pot, preheat the bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Next, add diced white onion to the renderings once hot. Stir the onions and bacon fat to incorporate. Sauté onions until just translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the ½ cup of beer, then add the onions and garlic. Cook until most of the beer has evaporated.
- Make slits in the side of the jalapeno, but keep them intact. Add them to the cooked onion/garlic mixture.
- Finally, add the beans to the onion/chili/garlic mixture, then cover with 1-2 inches of chicken stock. Cover with a heavy lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and place a lid on the pot.
- Cook the beans like this for 3 hours covered. During this time, some of the water may have evaporated. Add enough water to cover the beans again by 1½ inches to correct this. Stir to loosen the beans occasionally. (Caution: Every stove is different, so you will want to keep an eye on the level of liquid. Higher heat can make the beans boil themselves dry. If the broth of the beans goes below the surface of the top layer of beans, add enough water to cover them again.)
- When you sample the beans and find them very tender, go ahead and add the tomato and the remaining seasonings (Mexican oregano/Southwest seasoning).
- To thicken the beans, ladle off a cup or two into a blender and puree. Return this to the beans to thicken naturally.
Garnish
- Chop ½ cup of smoked brisket or smoked pulled pork. If you don't have these, you can chop the bacon
- Hatch green chilies; reserve 3 tbsp of fresh, chopped cilantro.
- Garnish with fresh diced avocado, queso fresco, pickled onions, fresh cilantro, and a dash of your favorite hot sauce.