These homey beans from Northern Mexico are about as satisfying as food gets–creamy-tender pintos buoyed by smoky bacon, slow-cooked onion and cilantro. These beans–and fresh-made corn tortillas–are the first thing I think of when setting up my grill.
Though a lot of taquerias serve a simple, very brothy version of this dish, I’ve always been partial to thickening the broth a bit by pureeing some of the finished beans, then stirring them back into the pot. And, yes, I’m in the camp that likes a little tomato here, and jalapeño, too, and cilantro–especially cilantro.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 slices (4 ounces) thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
- 1 medium white onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 jalapenos, seeded if you wish and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted), undrained
- 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) dried pinto beans, picked over for any small stones or debris
- Salt
- 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
In the pot of your pressure cooker on the “saute” setting over normal or medium, cook the bacon several minutes, stirring regularly, until bacon starts to brown and renders its fat. (If the bacon doesn’t render much fat, add a couple of tablespoons of oil.) Add the onion and cook until golden, about 6 to 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. Add the beans, 1 teaspoon table salt, and 6 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook on high for 1 hour. If time allows, let the pressure release naturally.
When ready to serve, remove 1 cup of the beans and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the smooth beans back to the pot and stir in the cilantro. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve.
No Pressure Cooker?
For stovetop: 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.
For slow cooker: Follow the directions for cooking the bacon, onion, garlic, chiles and tomatoes in the removable insert of a 6-quart slow cooker (or a large 10-inch skillet if your slow cooker does not have a stove-top-safe insert) set over medium heat. Fit the insert into the slow cooker (or transfer the mixture from the skillet to the slow cooker) and add the beans, 1 teaspoon table 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.) Finish the recipe as directed above.
