Cowboy Beans - Rick Bayless

By norsegal8

Ingredients

• 4 slices (4 ounces) thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium white onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 jalapeños, seeded if you wish and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 115-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
• 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) dried pinto beans
• Salt
• 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from rickbayless.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a removeable insert of a 6-quart slow cooker or a large (10-inch skillet) set over medium heat, cook the bacon several minutes, stirring regularly, until bacon starts to brown and renders its fat.  Add the onion and cook until golden, about 6-8 minutes.  Add garlic and jalapeños and cook until the garlic begins to brown and is fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes and cook another minute.

Fit the insert into the slow cooker (or transfer the mixture from the skillet to the slow cooker) and add the beans, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 7 cups of water.  Cover and turn the slow cooker to high.  Your beans will be done in 3 to 4 hours, though you can hold them for longer. (My slow cooker can be programmed to switch from high after 3 ½ hours to a “keep warm” temperature for another 6 hours. Some slow cookers click to “keep warm” automatically; others need to be switched manually.)

When ready to serve, remove 2 cups of the beans and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Add the smooth beans back to pot and stir in the cilantro.  Taste and season with more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Follow the directions for cooking the bacon, onion, garlic, chiles and tomatoes in a medium-large (4- to 6-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven) over medium-high.  Add the beans, salt, and  2 ½ quarts water.  Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to medium-low and cook the beans at a gentle simmer, partially covered, until thoroughly tender, about 2 hours. (You’ll find it necessary to add water from time to time to ensure that the level of liquid remains about the same.)  Finish the recipe as directed above.

After getting these beans started, I spent the next 20 mins on my slow cooker’s company website looking for a replacement insert. DO NOT take these instructions as a blind endorsment for cooking in your crock over open flame. Maybe it works for a metal insert but NOT a stone and perhaps these instructions could be editted to reflect this disclaimer. Smells good though so hopefully after a day of simmering them the old fashioned way they’ll taste just as great.

I ran across this recipe while searching for the Shrimp Ceviche Verde. My husbands reaction, “That was the best bowl of beans I have ever had.” I must agree, I will definitely be making these again. I will just add another jalapeno with the seeds, to kick it up a bit.

I used the quick soak method, after sorting and rinsing bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes. Cover and remove from the heat for 1 hour, rinse and cook.

The flavor of the beans is really wonderful and we’re enjoying them. But they turned out more like a soup, even though I followed the recipe precisely. Maybe they’re supposed to be that way. Also they took 6 hours on high in my crock pot. I’d like a little them with a bit thicker consistency, so next time I’ll either add more beans or reduce the water.

They are supposed to be slightly soupy. They make a delicious dip. And if you want them thicker you can also blend them more. Enjoy!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

Given email address is already subscribed, thank you!

Please provide a valid email address.