284661 Wed Apr 19 01:58:41 -0700 2006 9 31 Home Cooking 0 1522336 I am looking for a good from scratch Texas style cowboy pinto bean recipe. I have had some canned beans that were pretty tasty but have been unable to duplicate the taste. The recipes I found on the net can vary quite a bit from one another. Rod Wed Apr 19 01:58:41 -0700 2006 0 Rod 1 1522351 How about refried beans (frijoles refritos)? I cook dried pinto beans in plain water (no salt) until they are very soft. Pour off and reserve the cooking liquor when finished in case some of it has to be added back to the beans. I mash the beans with a potato masher in the pot in which they were cooked. Add some oil to a cast-iron skillet, saute some diced onion, add some ground chile powder, and incorporate the mashed beans a small amount at a time. Add some of the reserved cooking liquor if the beans get too dry. If you wish, you could be more authentic and use lard instead of oil. Cholesterol is a problem for me. Wed Apr 19 08:43:10 -0700 2006 1522336 0 ChiliDude 2 1522354 For refried beans, I add cumin and a little crushed oregano and a very finely diced garlic clove to your recipe, and you will definitely need salt. When initially cooking the beans, I include an onion and bay leaf, but don't add the diced onions when I'm making the refritos. For really good taste, saute in bacon fat. Wed Apr 19 08:58:21 -0700 2006 1522351 0 Sarah C 3 1522397 When do you add the salt? If you add it to the cooking water, the beans do not become tender. I've cut back on using salt years ago. If a recipe calls for salt, as most do, I usually add half or less than what is suggested. When I use salt, it is Kosher or sea salt, which are less saline than table salt. Ground chile powder does a good job of replacing salt for me. In closing, I quote from another source that is politically incorrect, "One man's chili is another man's axle grease." That can be paraphrased so that "chili" is replaced by "frijoles refritos." Wed Apr 19 12:00:32 -0700 2006 1522354 0 ChiliDude 4 1522457 I'm sorry but adding salt to the beans while cooking does not keep them from getting tender. I've been cooking beans for 49 years + and the difference is the age of the beans. If you buy packaged beans, you may be getting old beans and they need a much longer time to cook to become tender. I buy beans by the bulk and always get young tender beans that always cook quickly and tender. You cannot add salt to beans successfully once they are cooked. One trick though is to boil some salt in water and then add this salty water to the beans. It helps some. It all depends on what you are used to but beans without salt is way too bland for our tastes. Sometimes I cook the beans with chopped white onion, jalapeno diced (to taste), some Chimayo chile powder, a bottle of beer and chicharron with of course enough water. This is a very popular dish in these here parts! Wed Apr 19 18:52:43 -0700 2006 1522397 0 Neta 5 1522496 Neta is absolutely right. I cook a lot of beans. I salt the pot from the very beginning and yet the beans get tender. It's not a miracle. That salt myth is just that--a myth. They taste much better cooked that way, too. Jim Wed Apr 19 23:15:56 -0700 2006 1522457 0 Jim Washburn 4 1522522 I add the salt when mashing the beans. You may not need a lot, but in my opinion they're going to be really flat tasting if they're totally unsalted. However, I believe that recent food experiments by people like Harold McGee, Alton Brown and the Cook's magazine folks have shown that adding salt to beans while they are cooking does not actually toughen them -- another old wive's tale of cooking. I do add the salt at the end, though, even when I'm not planning to refry the beans. Thu Apr 20 08:54:07 -0700 2006 1522397 0 Sarah C 1 1522378 There are as many versions of Texas cowboy beans or "frijoles charros" as there are cooks. My version depends on having scraps of some good smoked meat, e.g., the rind of a brisket, some rib or chicken bones, etc. 1. Pick over, wash, and soak 1 pound of pinto beans overnight. Quick soak method is to bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat and let soak hot for 1 hour. Pour off the soaking water. 2. Add enough water to cover the beans by an inch or so., add 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, and bring to slow simmer. If you are using smoked bones, add them now. 3. Meanwhile, saute till soft: 1 small, chopped onion 2 or 3 cloves minced garlic 1 chopped, seeded fresh jalopeno OR 1 canned ancho pepper. This much will give the beans a bit of hot bite, so leave it out if you don't want them hot. Add: 1 Cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) If you are using smoked meat scraps, chop them and add them to the saute 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon oregano 3. When the beans have started to soften (after about 1/2 hour), stir in the saute. Continue to simmer very slowly, another 1/2 to 1 hour or more. 4. During this last chunk of cooking, open a beer or two - Dos Equis, Negro Modello or the like. Add what you need to keep the beans covered with liquid, and you know what to do with the rest. You can also use water. Try to keep the beans just covered, not too soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning -- you probably will want more salt and possibly more chili heat. 5. Taste the beans frequently to determine when they are done - you want the starchiness completely gone, but don't let them get mushy. Don't boil too quickly, since this can break up the beans. 5. When done, you can optionally take out about 1/4 of the beans and broth and puree them, then add back to the beans to get a nice creamy soup like result. I like to let this dish sit in the fridge for at least a day before consuming. Serve in small bowls with grilled onions on the side and toasted corn tortillas. Wed Apr 19 11:05:15 -0700 2006 1522336 0 personne 1 1522599 Here's how you cook beans for Okie or Texas beans and cornbread. Sort and rinse 1 lb. pinto beans. Put in pot. Add either a cubed ham steak, a ham hock, or a bone left from a baked ham. Cover with water. Add salt. Quite a lot. Cover pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for three or four hours. You will probably need to add water while cooking. When they reach the point you can chew one, taste again for salt. Serve over cornbread. Thu Apr 20 15:34:09 -0700 2006 1522336 0 Plano Rose 2 1522603 My mom is an Okie and uses a considerable amount of bacon grease and a little sugar when she cooks pintos. Salts them at the beginning and later for taste. I think it helps to cook a lot of beans at once instead of a small amount. Thu Apr 20 15:46:59 -0700 2006 1522599 0 Chimayo Joe