Pinto Beans...

[rtaylor61]

Growing up in Texas, pinto beans were a staple of the diet. I know a few great ways to prepare them. How do you prepare yours? And please, be specific!

Randy

[chfair]

i can honestly say i think i can count on one hand how many times i have seen pinto beans being cooked and only once was i involved (born/raised/live texas).


slow cooked in a large pot (5 gallon or so) filled about 1/4 way with beans, as many fresh quartered onions as you think you can handle, some water (fill about halfway before adding beans and onions), a few cans of beer is an option for flavor, cut up large bacon pieces, sausage, ocra i think ended up in it. the heat will cook off all the alcohol by the time it is ready to eat. i forget what all spices there were, pretty sure some small potatoes a bit of brown sugar. put it over a low flame and let it heat up slowly.

from this point wait till it gets hot and things start to mix themselves you will be able to tell by the smell what it may or may not need, i know 7 guys walked by these beans throughout the day when no one was watching to add a bit more spice they liked and they were the best beans i had ever tasted...... then we went off to do some work on the property we were at and one of the guys made a fatal mistake..... and added A-1 steak sauce. they were inedible in a very literal way. the smell that came from those beans after A-1 hit them smelled of burnt rubber. one brave soul tried it and could not manage to even chew it. had to throw the whole pot out. (side note add A-1 sauce to beans while they cook and even dogs will not eat it)

so perhaps i am not the best texan to get that kinda recipe from, but they were tasty right up till that last mistake.

edit: perhaps this story should have been in a section such as general >.> instead of a reply to a thread in the speak easy.

[Luc]

I usually cook them in salty water and eat them with salsa, guacamole in tortillas. Fairly simple I know. Out of all the beans, Pinto are my favorites.

Black turtle are close second. I usually make my baked bean pot with white beans.

Where you referring to a specific dish or anything with Pinto?

[Left Coast DJ]

When you eat pinto beans, does your wife make you sleep on the couch?

[ouch]

Soak them in cold water overnight.
Drain, transfer to pot, cover with water and bring to boil.
Simmer 1 hour.
Saute chopped bacon in a skillet until crisp.
Remove bacon and reserve.
Add lard to skillet and heat over medium heat.
Turn up heat and add drained beans.
Add crushed Mexican oregano and epazote.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mash with potato masher to desired consistency.
Add reserved bacon.
Serve hot, topped with grated cotija cheese.

Et voila- Ouch's almost kosher refried beans.

[tsmba]

Interesting cooking tips. Personally, I never add salt to beans until late in the cooking process. I've read they get toughened if cooked in salted water. Some folks, however, do just the opposite.

[Satch]

Soak overnight if possible. Scale the water to beans by about 2:1.

Cook with seasoned pork (hocks or such). Going european I would used pancetta!

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil or simmer. I cook them about 2-3hours depending on amount of time soaking.

I have been known to dice a little raw sweet onion to add to the beans and crumble cornbread into the individual serving bowl. Now we are about to get into the rural southern cusine by adding a dollop of Dukes Mayonaise. Mix all in and add salt or pepper to tast.

Now if you want to get really into it cook fried tripe with milk gravy and biscuits.

Satch

[urr-lord]

i soak the beans overnight in water with a little onion and garlic powder and pepper.
drain the beans and place in a pot cover with water and a can or two of beer.
add crushed red pepper,black pepper,onion and garlic powder,diced white onion,diced smoked ham and good meaty smoked ham hock if possible.sometimes i'll cut bacon into 1/2 inch squares and use it.
serve with cornbread and ice cold beer or tea.

[Austin]

I have been known to dice a little raw sweet onion to add to the beans and crumble cornbread into the individual serving bowl. Now we are about to get into the rural southern cusine by adding a dollop of Dukes Mayonaise. Mix all in and add salt or pepper to tast.

Satch

I remember adding mayo to beans in my youth. Thanks for the memories.

[Jim]

To make a decent pot of beans you need to start with a smoked pork product. Just sayin'

[Matsuey37]

From dry- cook at a hard boil for 1 hour to 2 hours with a piece of pork sidemeat or ham hock.

Let simmer for the next 3-4 hours.

Cook some cornbread.

Make some coleslaw. (That is chopped up cabbage with mayonaise and a little apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a little cayenne pepper).

Chop up some onion. (Some people like to put Chow-Chow on their beans, I prefer onion. I will put chow-chow on Black eyed peas or crowder peas).

Put it on a plate and yummy!

PS: If you want to get fancy make some macaroni and cheese!

On a side note: I used to work in the senior market with Medicare plans. Every once in a while I would run into a particularly sprite man in his late nineties. I would ask them the secret to living a long and fruitful life and there answer would always be--Get this--- BEANS AND TATERS!!!

[Roman414]

I rinse them, pick the rocks out, and throw them into a pot of boiling water. If you bring the water to a boil before you put the beans in, they split a little and cook faster. I boil them for a couple of hours, adding water as required. If I have a ham bone or something, I add that after the beans have boiled for a couple of hours. If you add it too soon, the beans get a coating of fat and take much longer to cook. About then I season to taste...salt, pepper, a minced onion, and a couple handfuls of chili powder. When the beans are tender, I eat them over rice, or over cornbread. They are good over a hamburger patty too.

[stobes21]

New Orleans style red bean and rice. I tend to follow this recipe and adjust as necessary.

The gist of it is:
Boil bean for an hour.
Sauté onion, celery, and green peppers.
Drain beans, dump in your sautéd trinity, a smoked ham hock, and a pound of sliced smoked andouille. Add as much good cajun seasoning as you like, a bay leaf or two, and barely cover with water.
Cook for the rest of the day/until they get creamy.

The key is to stick them in the fridge overnight and serve the next day over hot white rice with a bottle of hot sauce on the side. That's why traditional red beans and rice is always served on mondays -- you cook 'em all day sunday and then let 'em rest overnight.

[Yushiro]

Not exactly from Texas (:P) but I do occasionally get the urge for some Southern flavours. So I refer to my friend Junior for this recipe. Pinto is hard to come by round these parts so I use whatever is available. Works pretty well.

[Austin]

I remember adding mayo to beans in my youth. Thanks for the memories.

I had forgotten that we would add butter to pintos when I was a kid.

[pal]

Around here the people call them "Soup Beans". Pinto Beans are something that people eat up north. It is a staple here along with all the other types of beans which we just call by their regular names, like Navy or Great Northern. But Pintos, we call Soup Beans. We soak them all night and cook them by bringing them to a boil and then simmering them for about an hour with a piece of hog jawl. It is better that way because you don't have to cook the hell out of them. But they are not done until they make that wonderfully rich brown "Soup".

By the way, if you can get your hands on some Cranberry Beans, they are even more flavorful than Pintos. They are like pintos except they have reddish stripes on them.

[mparker762]

Pinto bean sandwiches. Warm up yesterday's leftover pintos, and put them on bread with mayo, dill pickles, and onions. Best to do half-sandwiches with one slice of bread folded in half to minimise the opportunity for leakage.

[Texican]

Soak them in cold water overnight.
Drain, transfer to pot, cover with water and bring to boil.
Simmer 1 hour.
Saute chopped bacon in a skillet until crisp.
Remove bacon and reserve.
Add lard to skillet and heat over medium heat.
Turn up heat and add drained beans.
Add crushed Mexican oregano and epazote.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mash with potato masher to desired consistency.
Add reserved bacon.
Serve hot, topped with grated cotija cheese.

Et voila- Ouch's almost kosher refried beans.

I do mine in a very similar way with the exception of the Mexican oregano, epazote, cheese, and the potato masher.

I add two bay leaves, the bacon, and as it is simmering, I put in half a cup of red wine (boujoulais preferably) with the water.

[FreezerBurns]

Around here the people call them "Soup Beans". Pinto Beans are something that people eat up north. It is a staple here along with all the other types of beans which we just call by their regular names, like Navy or Great Northern. But Pintos, we call Soup Beans. We soak them all night and cook them by bringing them to a boil and then simmering them for about an hour with a piece of hog jawl. It is better that way because you don't have to cook the hell out of them. But they are not done until they make that wonderfully rich brown "Soup". ...

+1, then sop up the soup with cornbread.

[Matsuey37]

Around here the people call them "Soup Beans". Pinto Beans are something that people eat up north. It is a staple here along with all the other types of beans which we just call by their regular names, like Navy or Great Northern. But Pintos, we call Soup Beans. We soak them all night and cook them by bringing them to a boil and then simmering them for about an hour with a piece of hog jawl. It is better that way because you don't have to cook the hell out of them. But they are not done until they make that wonderfully rich brown "Soup".

By the way, if you can get your hands on some Cranberry Beans, they are even more flavorful than Pintos. They are like pintos except they have reddish stripes on them.

I recommend trying Yellow Eye beans if you can find them They are similar to Pintos, just a slight difference in texture and flavor. They are definitely worth cooking up a pot to try them. Cook them exactly as you would your Pintos.