How Do You Make Your Pinto Beans?

i soak mine and then slow cook them on the stove with ham or bacon with onions and jalapeno peppers and garlic and right before they are ready i add a bunch of cilantro.


what do you use?

I soak mine overnight then in the morning I will drain off any water that is left and put beans in a crock pot, put water about 1 inch above beans, I add a half of jar of the Hot Picante sauce, I small onion peeled and chopped. Then some times I will add some chili powder to taste...Then I will set the crock pot on medium and cook till supper time....Oh and don't forget the cornbread....

Similar, except I rarely soak the beans ahead of time. The only thing the soaking process does is make the beans swell which help reduce the cooking time. However, I prefer my beans to "soak up" the flavorings within the crock pot with the other seasonings rather than just water. I just sort the beans out of the bag to make sure there are no "rocks" in them. Throw them into a big strainer and wash them real good, then into the crock pot. Cover with water till about 1-2 inches above the beans.

From here, I make it one of 2 ways.

1) I take some bacon and render it down in a skillet, then remove. Cut up some tomatoes, onions and jalapenos and add them into the bacon drippings and cook it down. Add that to the pot of beans. Now just turn on the crock pot and let her go. Add a little salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir. After a couple of hours, I like to "test" the flavoring in the juice to see if any additional salt and pepper need to be added.

2) If I don't have bacon on hand or want a slightly different taste, I just a smoked ham hock in place of the bacon. I add it to the pot of beans then use the same blend of onions, jalapenos and tomatoes, salt and pepper. After the hock has cooked for for hours, I remove it, let it cool and pick the meat off of it and add the meat back into the pot of beans.

I will sometimes just use add some picante sauce to the beans rather than going through the trouble of cooking up the tomatoes and onions but ALWAYS add either bacon or ham hock.

On some occasions I will add some fresh cilantro at the end of the cooking but it sort of depends on who is over eating with us as I know some folks really don't like the flavor of cilantro.

bacon,onion and garlic salt,chili powder,cajun season,black pepper,and sugar. cook all night on low heat in a crock pot then i cook on high for another hour or so

these sound really good...........i'm thinking this weekend i'm going to try one of yalls recipes on here and that will be good cuz its supposed to be cold and wet here this weekend and a big pot of beans will do the trick

Use two lbs. of beans. Chop at least half an onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 poblano pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 tbs. chili powder, 1 c

Will try this again. Use two lbs. of pinto beans, at least 1/2 chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 poblano pepper, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1 tbs. chili powder, 1 can of Rotel, 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper. Combine all the above and add water to more than cover in a large pot. Very important! Add a ham bone, ham, or a piece of smoked pork. Cook slowly for at least two hours adding water as necessary to keep a soup like consistency. When the beans seem to be close to getting tender, add some chopped cilantro. You'll like them! WH

Soak a pound of beans overnight.

There is no recipe, sorry... I just toss it in as I go. Beef broth, a ham bone with some meat left on it and some of the drippings from when I made the ham. Onion, jalapeno, cumin, chile powder (ancho if you can find it), a bay leaf or two, garlic, cayenne, red and black pepper.

I really don't care for cilantro in my beans.... I just like a good bean flavor with a really excellent rich broth.

dang i wish i had a bowl of beans right now!

Use ingredients that you use to make pico de gallo and a bottle beer. Sweat some bacon in the pan prior to adding onions, jalapenos and garlic. Stir in the other when almost done and garnish with more pico.

Soak beans overnight, wash again. Slice onion, jalepenos, tomatoes, half pound bacon and can and a half favorite beer. Add chili powder, sea salt, cumin, garlic, and black pepper. Cook on low for about 5-6 hours. Eat for 30 minutes, enjoy for about 18 hours!

For those of you that soak the beans, why do you soak them?

I never have time to plan and soak them...somebody is always asking for a pot of beans with supper. So I use a pressure cooker, takes 45 mins in pressure cooker, then about 30 mins more on the stove top. I season with this: salt, pepper, chili powder, fresh minced garlic, few slices of salt pork. Only buy Casserole brand pinto beans.

I also cook small white beans this way, done in about an hour.

i always wash mine then soak them overnight because it takes less time cooking them

Pretty much the same as everyone else but I throw in a can of rotel.

yeah sometimes i like to chop up some tomatos and throw them in............sometimes tho you never know what i might throw in! lol

Take some country style pork ribs and brown. After they are nicely browned, take them out and add a bunch of onion, garlic, and a pablano pepper. Let that brown, then throw back in the pork ribs and add the beans. Add some thyme, a couple bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. I also chop up some tomatoes and just barely cover with chicken stock. Cook till tender. I'll also do the same thing but start by frying bacon, then take bacon out and brown pork ribs in bacon fat and continue with the recipe. It's very good. If you want it a little spicier, add a serrano. You can also switch out the bacon for chorrizo, andoullie or any type of sausage.

I wash them, soak them over night, and cook them in a crock pot on med. with salt pork cut up in them. Add pepper, onion powder , and granulated garlic.

If you will wash them, put them in a pot of water and boil for about 5 minutes and then let them set for 30 minutes or so it is just like soaking them overnight. I like to brown some chopped onion, add a medium onion, cumin , acouple of chopped garlic cloves, crushed red peppers, and salt and pepper. Add beans and simmir until tender. Make some rice and cornbread to go with it, cut up an onion. An hour later you will be farting like a mare mule.
Pat

good recipes guys!

I'm with Fishing Fork Fan. I only buy Caserole brand no need to soak overnight. And usually there's no rocks in them either. I do just about all the above. I sometimes will brown hamburger meat and put in mine instead of the bacon or ham hock. I have also used salt pork. There's just so many different ways to cook them, but were all in agreement. Onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, chili powder and cumin. I haven't tried the beef broth yet but I will.

+1 Yep....ham hocks. Makes all the difference.

I use Smithfield Ham or another kind of salt cured ham and lots of course ground black pepper.

I'm a south Texas purist when it comes to beans. I cook down some bacon and onions. Add beans, water, salt, pepper, and a shot of cumin. That's it. As long as the salt is right, the beans will speak for themselves.

As long as no one hears them talking!

i've got me a big bowl of them now......they are hard to beat in this cool damp weather!!!!!!!!!

In a crock pot, soaked beans, broth, pinto bean seasoning, black pepper, 1 can rotel, one onion, bacon, sausage, water and one beer. Medium till done. Serve with white rice.

that pot of shrimp has got me going! dang those look good!!!!!!!!!!

made a big pot of beans yesterday and made some refried beans out of it this morning for breakfast..........i'm set for the day now......a good pot of beans is hard to beat!!!!!

Add a can of refried beans during the last 5 minures, no matter how you cook them.

"can of refried beans" just isn't in my vobaculary.
it's homemade or nothing

My wife cooks a carrot in the pot of beans,it removes the gas and don't change the flavor of the beans.Just don't eat the carrot thats where all of the gas is

As much as I like beans and all, why would anyone want to take the farts out of em? Thats half the reason to eat em!

I take 2 or 3 Beano's before eating them. It sure helps me from gassing my house :)).

All yall cook your beans some tasty ways, although I prefer to cook mine in a pot.

plus one on the pot

i've got 5 hamhocks boiling right now then i'm gonna put them in my beans. dam they smell good

Cook down 6 slices of bacon along with 3 cloves of garlic and 1/2 medium onion. Add one pound of beans and water, one heaping table spoon of Gebhardt's which I think is the best chili powder or a little more and salt. Add 1 pickled jalapeno cut up and a little of the juice from the jalapenos. Cook low until done. Stir very little.

onion, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, ham hock, and a little red wine vinegar

I let'em soak over night, then do all the crock pot stuff. I chop up some celery, cut some bacon up in little chunks, chopped bell pepper, onion, lots of salt, chopped garlic, think I put some cumin in it, some chili powder, theres some other ingredients but I gota drink a few to get it right.

First and last time I made some got 8th place at the Shrinners cook-off here in Wichita.

made another post of beans today and we're having them with porterhouse steaks and fresh squash....good thing about beans is they go with just about anything

try some beans with cottage cheese . .... yummy !

never had beans with cottage cheese.......beans and cole slaw sure does taste good together tho!!

an easy way to have different beans after you have boiled them . add a just enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan . dice about a quarter of an onion and put in hot oil . after the onions have turned clear add about 24 ounces of beans with the water you boiled them in . bring to a boil add about 1 or two teaspoons of salt and cook about 5 -10 minutes ( till the beans get alittle softer ) at a medium boil then take a masher and mash . i just mash them till the water turns kind off like gravy . people might already be doing this but i thought of this post as i was making some of these beans last night .

sounds good to me!!!

I do mine the same way plus I add a little cumin and some cilantro. I cook them in a crock pot all nite long or at least 12 hours. Best I've ever tasted anywhere.

My recipe starts with fresh beans cleaned of rocks and mud, never soaked. Pre-cook two smoked hocks in filtered water for a couple of hours prior to intro of beans, chopped garlic, onions and green peppers, can of reg rotel, chili powder, dallop of beef paste (bullion), oregano, cumin, basil. Cook all this for several hours until beans are 30 min from done. Add hatch chilis cut up fine and chopped cilantro. Have fresh diced tomatoes, onions, Hatch chili plus extra chopped cilantro ready to add to cooked beans (for those who want extra). Cast iron skillet fried potatoes and jalapeno corn bread top off the carb fest!
Yes, I am fat.

Sounds just like.......... FREEEEEEEEKIN' REFRIED BEANS!!! Delicious!!

I start with good soil.

Beans and cornbread.It doesnt get any better than that.

I take a few strips of bacon fry them in the bottom of a small pot. I remove the bacon but leave the grease and add a couple cans of beans and cut up the bacon and add that. I let that simmer until the corn bread is done cooking.

Followed this pretty much 1:1, I started with the rendered bacon, I added a can of rotel after the onions had carmelized, and can say this was very tasty.

These recipe's all sound similar to mine, just wanted to add that I ate some beans from a local bar-b-que joint here in Burnet. There wasn't any seasoning at all in them beans, the cooks must have worked at a hospital before landing that job. If your not cooking with seasoning your just heating stuff up!!! RJ

When I make a pot of beans it can be a side dish or a meal in it's own, I prefer to have them as a meal themselves + a batch of sweet cornbread. I've tried many different ways to make a pot of beans & am always trying to improve on them, when I make a batch it's normally for a decent crowd of people so I make a pretty big pot, eat on them for a few days,(also like a big bowl for breakfast), & if there's any left I'll freeze them in ziplocks for another day. Anyway, here it goes:

In a large pot I'll add 4 lbs of pinto beans, (I don't rinse or pre-soak), just make sure there are not rocks or debree in the pot. Cover with 3 to 4 inches of water & turn on heat to medium high, cover partially. In a skillet fry to a crisp 1 lb of the bacon of your choice, (I'm a Wright's peppered bacon fan myself), remove bacon & add 1 lb of hamburger meat to bacon grease seasoned with some Tony's until brown then drain. I also will sometimes substitute venison or wild pork if I have some handy. Slice up 1 lb of V&V sausage & add to the pot, (use whatever brand you like, I like V&V or homemade if I have some.) Add the hamburger to the pot & break up the bacon into little pieces & add to the pot. Chop 1 large sweet Texas onion, 2 green bell peppers, 3-4 serrano peppers, 3 lbs of roma tomatoes, 1 bunch of cilantro, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 lemon bottle of juice, & a little chicken broth, (will taste test for more broth when they're about done). Add these ingredients to the pot then here comes the seasoning.....add cumen to taste, paprika to taste, a little worchestershire (spellcheck), black pepper & salt, (will also taste test for salt & other spices when about done). Give the pot a stir & bring to a gentle boil for about an hour, then reduce heat to a slow simmer & cover. Don't stir the pot too much especially when the beans get soft. When beans are soft, remove about 1 lb of beans only & smash them up well, return to pot. Then, if you really like tomatoey beans you can chop up a few more maters & put them in. The tomatoes that were put in at first will be cooked down already & add to the "soup". Taste for salt & broth, (if you over do either one you'll know it). Simmer for a little longer but don't let your beans get cooked out & fall apart on you. Beans are always best the next day so if I'm throwing a bbq I prefer to cook the beans the day before, let cool down to room temperature, then refridgerate overnight. Only bad thing is, I can never keep from helping myself to them when they're done so the pot o' beans is usually missing a few pieces of sausage & bacon lol! Anyway, they will be thicker the next day especially with the help of the 1 lb that you smashed & put back in. Until you figure out what works for you, take it easy on the seasonings & serrano peppers at first. You can always add some at the end but can't take it out! I don't have a written recipe, it's all in my head so I may have missed something but don't think so.

Em be my beans.....

soak em overnight, add a smoked turkey leg,boil em til done, season to ur taste, cornbread what a meal!

Two great ingredients for beans, coffee & ginger.

Whut??

alot of great bean goodness ..... but I only read where one person used the secret ..... chicken stock ... don't use plain water .. much more flavor with flavored water .. just use a low sodium & you can always add salt to taste ....if I missed anymore users of chicken stock ... i throw myself of the mercy of the beans

you could make soup add the bone and the beans to cook together when done remove the bone and process the beans in the food processor ,remove the meat from the bone and chop in little pieces ,add those to the soup and serve with crusty bread.
_____________
cascade coupons

dang that sounds good!!!

Don’t add SALT or acidic ingredients such as lemon, tomato, or vinegar until beans are almost done or they will never ever become tender and you'll be throwing them away. They just will refuse to cook.
I found out the hard way by adding lots of salt and a bit of cider vinegar at the start of cooking one time.

Two pounds of dry pintos; sometimes I soak sometimes not depending if it's a planned cook are spur of the moment.
I utilize a crock pot more often than not. To pot add pintos, 1 medium onion, 2 whole jap peppers, 12oz hunk of salt pork and a combination of beef and chicken stock to cover 3' minimum. Cook on high until the salt pork is fall apart tender and beans are some what tender. Remove salt pork, onion and japs. Remove layer of skin from salt pork and place salt pork in blender along with japs and onions. Add a couple ladels beans to the blender along with some bean juice. Liquify and add back to pot of beans. Season with salt, pepper to taste and what ever else suits your fancy. Continue cooking on low until beans reach desired tenderness.

I do mine in a pressure cooker, takes all of an hour and 10 minutes.

Cheers,

George

got a pressure cooker when i got married 15 years ago and its still in the box lol i need to take it outta the box and start using it on different things

I had a hunger pain for a pot of beans till I read this^^^^^

I cook a third pound of bacon ends with onion and garlic. Add 2 lbs of pintos cooked in crockpot overnight with chili powder, salt, and a few pickled jalapenos. Add a 32oz can of stewed tomatoes (or stew your own) and 1 25 cent bunch of cilantro. Goes best with spare ribs smoked 3-4 hours in foil rubbed with texjoy then an hour unwrapped.

2lb Casserole* beans(soak)
1lb Local made salt pork(slow rendered)
2Lg Local smoked hocks or 2lb smoke wild pig bacon(chunked)
1Lg Yellow Onion(chopped)
1bulb fresh garlic(yup,chop the entire bulb,6-8 cloves)
2Tbs heaped Morton Chili Blend(real Texans know what this is)
1Tbs healthy not heaping fresh ground Comino(Mex cumin)
1Tbs healthy not heaping fresh ground Black pepper
1/2Tsp fresh ground red chili type pepper(beer drinking buddies require 1Tbs)

1) Hundred and Twenty year old cast iron dutch oven pot thats never seen a drop of soap in its life.
1)Low and slow heat source
5-6 hrs cook time
Remove from heat and allow to completely cool(fridge works best)
Reheat and adjust salt while the corn bread is cooking
1 Qt Home canned Chow-Chow for real Texans
Suggested Serving:
Cold Beer
Wild Game
Elbow room

4 cups beans
ham bone or smoked pork of some kind preferably with a bone
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 chopped poblano pepper
1 tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 can Rotel

Add water and cook for app. 3 hours adding water as needed. Cook until beans start to turn tender. Don't over cook. Palm full of chopped cilantro added about 30 minutes before done.

My secret ingredient is a tablespoon of Zatarains shrimp and crab boil(liquid)added to most of the stuff ya'll have stated.

My late Aunt Jerry used to make a pot of Cowboy Beans. The first time she ever brought them to a family reunion (1982) the women went to fighting over the receipe. Was some Funny Stuff!

1st Cook your beans however you prefer them.
I soak 2lbs of them overnight, cook them in a large pot, with a teaspoon of salt and a piece of salt pork. Once they are soaked it normally takes about 2 hours with a lid. I like about 4 to 5 inches of water above the beans. I don't like to add water later.
and put a lid on it while they are cooking.

2nd - cook up a lb of hamburger meat and add some lowrey's taco seasoning just like you are making tacos per the directions on the package of taco seasoning.

3 - add a cup of fresh chopped bell pepper, a cup of chopped onion, a cup of chopped celery to the pot of beans.

4 - add a can of rotel and a can of stewed tomatoes to the pot of beans. (Left over spagetti sauce is awesome as well in place of the stewed tomatoes)

5 - when the beans are tender I add in the meat and do a final taste and seasoning with chili powder.

It tastes like a chili but it's more like a soup.

I've turned lots of people on to this and it's always a favorite!

All these look AWESOME!!!

With jalapeno peppers for sure

Bump for the greatness contained in this thread.

I knew this was an old thread when I saw Oxner had posted.

But it's beans! I firmly believe that stove top beans beat crock pot beans but the convenience of the crock pot can trump that belief. Enter the pressure cooker.

I wash and clean a bag of beans and dump in my PC. Boil for ten minutes and set aside to soak for twenty more. I dump the water, rinse the beans and fill the PC half full of water. I like to add a ham shank but can do just as well with bacon drippings from the fridge. Salt, pepper, a little sugar. Coarse chopped onion and a can of Hatch chopped green chilis. Close lid and bring up to 15psi for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool naturally. The PC really drives in the seasoning, so don't over do it. Results in a very thick stock and very tender whole beans. I think it's better than my cast iron Dutch oven can do. I recently found moms big canning PC in the shed at the lake and just got it refitted with the soft parts. It'll make big batches using the same method.

All of the above mixed together would change your life forever

If you are doing a whole ham or doing a spiral cut ham for the Holidays, the bone will be your most treasured part of the leftovers. Quit serving the ham while you still have some good meat on the bone and hoard it away in the refrigerator or freezer for your next pot of beans. You get sooooooooooooo much more flavor than you do with bacon, salt pork or ham hocks. I always cook a ham for The Holidays just so we can have a bone for a wonderful bean and cornbread supper after all thE Holiday company.

2 lbs. beans
1 can rotel
Tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
1/2 chopped poblano pepper
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic diced
1 ham bone or other smoked pork bones or meat. ham bone is best.
salt to taste

Cover well with water and simmer for 3 - 3 1/2 hours until beans are tender adding water to keep beans covered.

Add some chopped cilantro about 30 minutes before done.

Freeze what is left in medium cartons.

Makes great refried beans by thawing and adding a little oil to a cast iron skillet and mashing them with a potato masher.

1 pound of beans in the slow cooker, cover with 2" of water, 1 table spoon each of black pepper, salt and sugar. 6-8 cloves of chopped garlic, small onion diced and 1 pound of Zummo's Cajun style Boudin. Cover and cook on high 8-10 hours. Serve with fresh cornbread.

Plus this ....Use Chicken Broth..no water, 1 Bay leaf, cayenne pepper,paprika, oregano

I buy Borracho beans at HEB. They are already great. Heat and serve..

Well the only thing I can add to this is.

I grilled some pork loins on the charcoal grill with Bodacious rib seasoning rub. Sliced about 1/2" thick and bagged in 3/4lb bags in the freezer. When I cook beans I add a bag of the pork loin to it.

To make the best tasting beans ever do this. Soak overnight and slow cook for 4-5 hrs. Do not put any seasonings in until the last hour. A professional told me that you are wasting your seasonings if you put them in at first. He said the hulls are still hard and don't absorb the flavor. I have tried this several times and they have the most awesome flavor and tenderness! Try it.

1 # Beans
Soak beans over night..wash a couple times before adding below
No water/use chicken broth
1 med. onion chopped
1 cup tomato sauce or Rotel
1 Jalapeno chopped
3 med. garlic cloves chopped finely
1 tblsp Kosher salt
1 tblsp. ancho chile powder
1 teasp. chili powder
1 teasp cider vinegar
1 teasp. cumin
1 teasp. packed dark brown sugar
1 teasp. paprika
1/2 teasp. ground pepper
1/2 teasp dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 Bay Leaf
Smoked ham hocks or ham bone w/ meat on it !!
Bring the above to a boil, then turn down to simmer until done..paying attention to liquid level.
Some folks put in their favorite sausage pieces when
beans are half cooked.

and Jalapeno Cornbread

Like CAST. I use a pressure cooker, a very old Presto my Mother had when I was a kid in the 50's. I do it basically like CAST, but my wife recently had a bleeding stomach ulcer and can't have any pepper or most spicy stuff we love. So, I cook them with salt, garlic, minced onions, and have to add the bionics to mine, after they are done. She is without the Rotel, habaneros, and wine! It's not a happy home, but, she's healing.

Had a bowl right after the Cowboys suffered a loss due to lame play calling and coaching. The Pack was definitely up for the game. Congrats to them. Please beat the Pats in the Super Bowl!

Island Jim

try adding a diced tomato and a bottle of beer

boracho beans are the best

I've been cooking red beans (pintos) for over 50 years now. I've cooked them hundreds of ways. Betcha I've cooked over 5,000 pots of beans in my life. I've experimented and tested and...now I just throw them together based mostly on what I have at hand. There's a method to it, but it is a flexible method.

The basics:

Clean dry beans. Usually about 2 cups or so.
Water. Enough to fill after all ingredients are added.
Enamel coated dutch oven - it has a heavy lid and acts like a low pressure pressure cooker. Drives the flavor into the beans better. The coated cast iron does not react with the acid in the tomatoes the way uncoated cast iron can. Any covered pot will do, but love the dutch oven for this.
Cumin, heavy hand.
Chili Powder, medium hand.
Black Pepper, heavy hand.
Salt, medium hand.
Garlic, medium hand
Onion, heavy hand
Tomato Paste, small can
Crushed tomatoes, average size can

Variables:

Bacon grease, or smoked brisket trimmings, or smoked ham trimmings, or ham bone, or salt pork, or smoked ham hocks.

I do not pre-soak, that fills the beans with plain water and makes it hard to get flavoring down into the bean.

I cook with salt from the get-go because I like the bean to have a bit of a bite to it, and the salt gives it that body. I stir as little as possible so as to not break the beans up.

If the meat I add isn't fatty enough I'll add bacon grease, I want rendered meat fat grease to get into the beans.

I prefer smoked brisket fat trimming with a bit of meat on it, but will use the other meats listed, depending on what I have. Whenever I smoke on the smoker I keep trimmings back in the freezer for making beans. I'm thinking of trying to smoke the beans before cooking them - that would require pre-soaking them (put soaked beans in a colander into smoker), but haven't tried it yet.

Typically it takes about 3 hours for them to get done, usually have to add water a couple of times.

Sometimes I leave out the tomatoes and tomato paste, depends on my tongue's mood at the time.

I chop another onion up fresh to mix in the beans when I eat them. I like the taste and texture fresh onion adds.

One thing about beans, they are a blank palette that you can paint pretty much anything on.