Pintos

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Woodman1

Executive Chef
Joined
Jan 8, 2005
Messages
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First you cut off the head and tail. then you've got to bleed em for a day.Make an incesion down the belly..................................
 
Fatz, I haven't even gone to the store to get the CD's yet. I ain't forgettin ya though! Be patient with me! Ok Here you go:

1 lb. pintos , sorted, rinsed
1 smoked ham hock
1-10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotels)
1- 32 oz can chicken broth
1- green bell pepper-chopped
1- celery rib -chopped
1 med onion-chopped
dash or more of hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp
black pepper
1 tsp Lea and Perrins

place beans in large dutch oven . cover with water and bring to boil. cook , uncovered for 30 minutes. Drain

Put beans, broth, tomatoes, hock and everything else in and cook 55 minutes, or until tender.

Fatz, these are good, and easy. Good luck. Woody
 
I make mine a bit spicy, but you could cut down on the amount of cayenne. It is very simple, but not a quick cook. I do mine while we are doing briskets on the smoker. I go low and slow on the beans as well.

Beans
Bottled Water
Salt Port
Salt
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cayenne

I normally do a quick soak - put 2 lbs of beans in a pot with a lid. Add bottled water to cover an inch over. Cover. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Turn off heat. Let sit for an hour or so.

Drain off water. Add new water. Cover by about 2 inches. Add in salt pork (I normally use several slices). Bring to a boil and them back down to a low simmer. Simmer until desired tenderness. I cook them outside, so this is often around 4 hours or more. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on the water level.

Add some salt, a dash of garlic powder, a bit of chili powder, and as much cayenne as you like. Use less than you think you will need to start out with. Let spice soak in for around 30 minutes before taste testing to see how you need to adjust the seasoning.

I put mine inside the smoker at the end with the lid ajar. You can use the lid to adjust the water level. At the end, I like to evaporate most of the water out so that my beans are more soupy and the flavor is more concentrated. I lift the lid for the last part of the cooking to do this. To reheat, you add a bit of water and warm. Flavor is still strong.

(You will notice that there is no black pepper in my recipe. I hate the stuff. If you like it, feel free to use it.)
 
Curmudgeon said:
Recipe Source:
TOO HOT TAMALES with Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken
*****
I was at their place in Vegas a couple weeks ago. The waiter overheard me say something to the couple dining next to me and brought Susan out to meet me. Usually she's in the Santa Monica or LA restaurants but comes to the Vegas place every month and happened to be there. We must've stared at each other for a good 5 min trying to figure out where we know each other from; never did, but we chatted a while anyway.

Anyway, one of my pinto recipes (cut the chilies if you wish):



Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans)

I make one version or another of these often as we're not fans of sweet beans.

Beans aren't soaked in Mexico and I rarely soak beans either. You can shorten the cooking time a bit if you do; I just put them on while I'm doing other things.

These are good with roasted meats, smoked brisket, tri-tip--or just by themselves with hot corn tortillas on the side.



1 lb pinto beans, picked over to remove any small stones

1 1-1.5inch-wide piece of slab bacon, rind removed and reserved, remaining bacon sliced thickly into 5-6 slices then diced; or 8 thick slices bacon, 3 left whole, 5 diced; or 2 slices bacon plus 1 5-6-inch piece of smoked sausage like andouille or kielbasa, sliced lengthwise into quarters then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

2 med onions, diced

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

salt

1 bottle dark beer

oil or lard

3 ripe tomatoes, peeled if desired (peeling is optional; I peel), chopped or 2 cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained

3-5 serranos or jalapeños (depending on your taste in heat) or a mix (ripe ones are most desireable here, imo, but hard to find so green are fine), stemmed, seeded, and min ced

2 t dried Mexican oregano

2 T finely chopped cilantro, leaves only


chopped cilantro, for serving (optional)

chopped onion, for serving (optional)

minced pickled jalapeños, for serving (optional)



Put the beans, bacon rind (or the 3 slices of bacon or the 2 if using the sausage), the onion, and the garlic in a large pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat then cover and reduce the heat to med/med-low and gently cook till the beans are tender. Usually this takes about 90 min but can be longer if the beans are very dry. (Check the beans periodically; add water if it falls below the surface of the beans but just add enough to barely cover at that point.)

Add a little salt to the pot--be sparing as the meat contain salt and, if using canned, so do the tomatoes. Add the beer and cook, uncovered, stirring periodically, 15 min. Remove the bacon rind or slices and discard.

Meanwhile, heat a med saute pan over med heat and add a little oil or lard (1-2 T is fine). Cook the diced bacon or sausage in the pan till browned then removed with a slotted spoon; add to the beans. To the pan add the tomatoes, oregano, chilies, and cilantro, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, till a bit thickened--about 5 min. Add the contents of the pan to the beans. Stir well. Cook 10-15 min, adjust salt. If desired, alter the consistency by mashing the beans with a potato masher a bit (I do this).

Serve, topped with minced cilantro, onion and pickled jal, if desired, or place the toppings in bowls for the table.
 
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