Charro Beans Recipe Frijoles Charros

CHARRO BEANS RECIPE (FRIJOLES CHARROS)

Steps:

• Heat a large pan or a pot to medium heat and add bacon. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the bacon starts to crisp up. Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Drain excess bacon grease and add onion and jalapenos. Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
• Add the garlic and cook another minute.
• Add the reserved bacon, beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper. Stir and reduce heat to simmer.
• Cover and simmer for 60 minutes or longer, until the beans are tender to your preference. Check at 45 minutes. It could take up to 90 minutes, depending on your beans. If the beans are too dry and not tender enough, add in a bit more broth or water to the pan and continue to simmer.
• Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, chili flakes, crumbly white cheese and serve.

CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Pour dry beans into a colander and rinse them off, removing any unwanted pieces. Add to a large pot with 6 cups of water (or enough to cover them by about 2 inches), a small chunk of onion, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours, until the beans are tender, but not bursting. (Mine usually take about 1 hour but depends on how dry/old your beans are). Check them a few times during cooking to make sure they are covered in water and add a little more water if needed.
• Once the beans are tender, drain them, reserving the liquid and pouring it into a measuring cup. Add additional water (or reduce liquid if needed) to make 2 ½ cups of total liquid. Stir in 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Set aside.
• Add the bacon and chorizo to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Remove some of the grease. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add ham (sausages, if using), diced tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, oregano, paprika, cumin, black pepper and cook for 5 additional minutes.
• Add cooked beans and broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, or additional spices if needed. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
• Serve as a main dish, wish warm tortillas, or as a side dish. When serving as a side dish I like to thicken the beans by adding a cornstarch slurry at the end (1 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water).

CHARRO BEANS (FRIJOLES CHARROS)

Steps:

• Place ham hocks into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Boil until meat pulls back on bone, about 2 hours. Remove meat from bones, cut into bite-sized chunks. Reserve the bones but discard any fat.
• Chop 1/2 of the white onion, and leave other 1/2 whole; set aside.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels, and chop when cool enough to handle. Pour bacon grease into a small bowl.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Place chorizo into a bowl with chopped bacon, tomatoes, chopped onion, and jalapenos.
• Place ham chunks and bones into a large pot, pour pinto beans over top. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium or medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, heat bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo and vegetable mixture and saute until vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
• When beans boil, add the remaining onion half and garlic. Let boil for 3 to 4 minutes; add sauteed vegetables and meat. Return to a boil; add cilantro and chicken bouillon. Continue to boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove bones, season with salt, and serve.

FRIJOLES CHARROS RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Place the rinsed beans, onion, garlic, water and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, lower to medium low heat and let it reach a simmer. Cover and cook until tender, about 1.5 hrs. Check periodically to make sure there is enough water.
• When the beans are ready, remove the pot from the heat. Transfer 1 cup of the cooked beans with 1 cup of the broth to a blender and process until smooth. Set to the side until needed. Cook the "charro beans"
• Meats: Place a large pot over medium heat and brown the bacon. Feel free to remove excess fat at any point if needed. Transfer the bacon to a heat proof plate when ready.
• Leave enough fat to thinly coat the bottom of the pot and brown the franks. When almost browned add in the ham and cook for about a minute. Transfer the franks and ham with the browned bacon.
• Add the chorizo to the same pot and break it apart.
• Vegetables: when the chorizo has fully cooked and browned, stir in the onion. When the onion has slightly softened, mix in the garlic and serrano pepper. After about a minute, stir in the tomatoes and let them cook until the juices release (tender).
• When the tomatoes look fully cooked, dump all the meat back into the pot and mix to combine.
• Remove the onion and garlic from the cooked beans. Add the beans, broth and bean paste into the pot with the meats. Get the last bit of paste from the blender using water and pour into the pot as well.
• Stir and let it simmer. Then add the cilantro, stir and close the pot. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Lastly, taste and add salt if needed.
• Serve hot/warm as a side or main dish.

EASY COWBOY BEANS (FRIJOLES CHARROS)

Steps:

• Combine pinto beans, tomatoes with green chile peppers, ham, cilantro, red onion, garlic, black pepper, and hot sauce in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.