Thursday, April 29, 2010

Slow-Cooked Pinto Beans

I never make beans, mostly because I forget to soak them overnight. A Mexican girl in my ward made these beans for a church event and they were so delicious I had to get the recipe. The best part is that they require no soaking. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup bacon fat, she pared it down to 1 Tbsp because she didn't like how the left overs congealed in the fridge. I eliminated the bacon fat all together and substituted liquid smoke to give it that smokey flavor. If you don't have liquid smoke, smoked paprika would also work. They turned out great. Adding the bacon fat back in would give the juice more body, which some people like, but I don't care. The girl who I got the recipe from said that she likes to make these the night before and have beans and eggs for breakfast and then make enchiladas that night. If you want to use fresh onion and garlic, you can, but I like the plain, chunkless beans. I made these with fish tacos and a side of asparagus, it was super delicious.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry pinto beans
7 cups water
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp liquid smoke (more or less to taste)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 10+ hours. Makes ~7 cups beans.

2 comments:

rachaeljanae said...

I've adapted all my bean recipes for the crockpot. I put mine on high for 8 hrs. They always turn out perfectly soft, which I have trouble with in any soak method. This is very much like a refried bean recipe I use and love for tacos.

Janae said...

I made this with red beans, let them cook on high for 5 hours and put them on low for another 5 hours and let them cool. Put them in the fridge overnight and then (because I forgot)added the spices. I used smoked paprika instead of the bacon fat. yummy. I have them as a side dish.