Mexican Charro Bean

Last night was the 15th anniversary of Sunday dinners. I wanted to make it special and memorable. I made Tri tip. Back in the day, Mom would make pinquito beans to go with tri tip on special occasions. I can't find pinquitos here so I opted to make this recipe instead.

Photo from Lemon Blossoms

A couple of things I learned: If the beans are old, they won't fit in this recipe well and will need to be soaked for at least 24 hours. 

I soaked mine for 6-7 hours and it took almost 3 hours to cook them and twice as much liquid as it suggests. After researching online I found most sites pointed to old beans as the culprit for not cooking quick enough. All the sites also recommended at minimum 12 hours to soak them. Lessons learned. 

Besides the random crunchy bean, this was delicious. A little spicy, but in a good way. The flavor was spot on and really deep. 

Mexican Charro Bean

Recipe from Lemon Blossoms

Serves 8

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 12 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced devein the chiles for less heat if preferred
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 (15-ounces) can fire-roasted tomatoes, with their juice (or diced tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Toppings (optional)
• Chopped cilantro
• Sliced jalapenos

Stove top instructions:

Place the dry beans in a large bowl. Pour enough water to cover them completely. Soak them for 6 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse and remove any debris or shriveled beans. Set aside.

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon stirring often, until it becomes crispy (or until desired doneness). Remove the bacon from the pot and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pot.

In the same pot, sauté the onions and the jalapeno peppers (or serrano peppers) stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until the onions become tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute or until aromatic.

Return the bacon into the pot, add the drained beans, the broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time, the beans should be almost tender. Periodically check the beans to make sure that they are still covered with liquid. If necessary, add additional hot water during the cooking process.

Next, uncover the pot and stir in the tomatoes with their juices, the chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano and cilantro.

Simmer, uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the beans are completely tender and the broth has thickened slightly. Season with salt to taste. Serve garnished with additional cilantro and jalapeno (optional).

Instant Pot Instructions

Place the dried beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any debris or shriveled beans. Set aside. When cooking beans in the pressure cooker, It’s not necessary to soak the beans.

Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté mode. Cook the bacon, stirring often until crispy (or until desired doneness). Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pot.

Add the onions and jalapenos into the pressure cooker and cook stirring often, for about 3-4 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Press the keep warm/cancel button.

Stir in the rinsed beans, tomatoes with their juices, broth, water, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano, bacon and cilantro into the instant pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Open the lid and season with salt to taste. Serve garnished with additional cilantro and jalapeno (optional).

Slow Cooker Instructions

Place the dried beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any debris or shriveled beans. Set aside. When cooking beans in a slow cooker, It’s not necessary to soak the beans.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy (or until desired doneness). Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pot.

In the same skillet, sauté the onions and the jalapeno peppers (or serrano peppers) stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until the onions become tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute or until aromatic. Remove from the heat.

Add the cooked onions, chiles and garlic into the slow cooker. Stir in the rinsed beans, tomatoes with their juices, broth, water, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano and bacon. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until the beans become tender. Periodically check the beans to make sure that they are still covered with liquid. If necessary, add additional hot water during the cooking process.

Stir in the cilantro and cook on high for 15 minutes or on low for 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve garnished with additional cilantro and jalapeno (optional).