Frijoles Borrachos

Ya'll may remember when I was talking about how I usually didn't like beans, but the Tex Mex beans I tried in San Antonio were absolutely divine? 

Well, the next day, my childhood friend CQ was having people over for bbq chicken (and all the fixins) so I thought that making these beans would be perfect.  (and yep, its the same night as the smoking incident)

After reading my last post about beans, Moms gave me a few tips on making these beans really stand out.  Unfortunately (for JP haha) these suggestions were to add bacon (and sometimes sausage).  Also -- canned pinto beans are a better bet for time saving because rehydrating dried beans can sometimes be obnoxious.  And, the Goya Ham seasoning is also key -- buy a box and use about 2 or 3 packets.

So I took these suggestions and tweaked it a little.

Frijoles Borrachos a la Sarah

-Brown a few slices of (peppered turkey) bacon on the bottom of a pan (cut up into little pieces)

-Saute a handful of frozen onions and some minced fresh jalepeno for a few minutes

-Add 2 cans of pinto beans (with the majority of the "juice" -- sick word I know -- poured out)

-Add 1 bottle of (dark preferably) beer -- I used Shiner (not quite dark, but not Bud Light)

-Stir this all together and let it simmer for about 10 minutes

-Add some cayenne pepper, salt, reg black pepper, and a capful of liquid smoke (even Whole Foods carries it.. and a little goes a long way -- sold in the condiment aisle)

-Let this all come to a boil, then lower the temp and simmer for about 30-45 minutes (or however long it is until dinner)

And I'm not much for beans, but these were pretty good!

No Beans about it.

..at least that was my mentality from about birth until my latest trip to San Antonio.  I didn't get much exposure to beans, and when I did.. it looked like this:

 [Picture via Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings]

That's not to knock on their version of refriend beans (which actually looks pretty good pre-mash), but this is not really my cup of tea.  I can be somewhat of a texture person when it comes to food.. and this is not the best texture to me.  Maybe it's a mind over matter thing?

But then I tried charro beans (frijoles).  Pinto beans cooked with bacon, onions, peppers, and chiles.  They served this in Texas instead of the refried beans at many of the TexMex joints we went to... and it was absolutely delicious.

 [picture via Don Cuevas]

So now that I know the reason I don't eat beans is just in the way they're cooked.. I'm looking forward to trying this new recipe this weekend.  I'm trying to eat healthier nowadays (and JP doesn't eat meat) so this might be the perfect fit for both of us.

Experiment:  Vegetarian Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans) adapted from Aaron Sanchez

Let's try this in the slow cooker!

Materials:
1lb dried pinto beans
3.5 cups of water (or about 2 inches above the beans when placed in the COLD pot)
1 handful of frozen diced white onion
2 scoops of minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 scoop dried oregano
1 bottle dark beer
Salt/pepper to taste


Method:
In the (cold) crock pot, put the beans + water, and cook on high for 3 hours.
Turn heat to low, add the rest of the ingredients and let it all simmer until you're ready to eat.


Probs not the best meal to cook during the workday, but for the weekends, 3 hours is perfect for running errands.  I'll let ya'll know how it tastes (and looks!).


Do ya'll have any great bean recipes I should try??