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Monday, January 10, 2011

Borracho Beans (the Texas way)

I love some good beans. But they are hard to come by. So I have started making my own and thought I would share the recipe. I usually triple the following recipe and divide into ziploc bags and freeze.

I always forget to take a picture when actually making beans. But beans are beans, right?

What you'll need:
1 lb pinto beans, washed and sorted
4 thick cut slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
1 large tomato, chopped
2 smaller jalapenos or 1 large one, seeded and chopped
1 medium sized onion chopped
cumin
chili powder
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Work starts the night before. Get a large pot and dump in the beans. Fill with cold water until there is about 2 to 3 inches of water over the beans. Put in fridge and let soak over night like 8 to 10 hours.

Next day. Drain your beans and put back into your pot, fill with water again, this time only covering the beans with 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of water. Place on the stove over medium high heat. Next, get a large skillet, and over medium heat cook the bacon pieces. Once the bacon is cooked and nice and brown, add onion and jalapenos (DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE). Once onions start to become translucent add your tomato. Continue to cook until the onions are starting to brown.

Now dump all of that goodness into your bean pot. Add spices. (I can't tell you exactly how much spices to add, cause I never measure. I just eyeball it and taste to see if it's right. So it kinda all depends on personal taste. SEE BELOW FOR AN ESTIMATE OF THE SPICES TO START WITH.) Now stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reducing heat to low and simmer for a few hours, or until beans are at the doneness you like.

Now you can serve them right away, or you can divide them up into Ziploc bags and freeze them. If you like refried beans, these make amazing refried beans. All you do is let your beans thaw out, then place in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. (MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF "BEAN JUICE") Let the beans come to a boil, mash with a fork and stir. Continue boiling, mashing, and stirring until you have reach the right consistency.

Spices
Like I said above I never measure, but here is an idea of what to start with, and you can always add more spices. 
1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper
2 teaspoons of garlic powder

    1 comment:

    Closer to the Kingdom said...

    SOOOO... I added a bay leaf and some lime to my beans...:/ we will see how it turns out!