Beans w/o chili

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

With overnight lows kissing 70, it's time to start this thread back up. I'll kick it off same as last time, with red beans. This particular batch might've been the best I've ever made. I will credit the second massive smoked hock I subbed in for the usual tasso, and my wife's idea to mash just a spoonful of the beans and leave the rest whole.

Here is the lineup the night before, after which I soaked the beans and chopped the vegetables:

Brown the sausage:

Remove the sausage and sauté the trinity, jalapeño and green onions in the rendered fat, then stir in spices and half a head of garlic:

Add back the sausage and soaked beans, then nestle in the hocks, this pic was taken before adding just enough water to cover, putting the lid on the pot and sticking it in a low oven for 3 hours:

Once your beans are tender, pick the hoof meat and add it back to the pot, then either mash a spoonful of beans or let them simmer until the liquid gets creamy:

Didn't even need rice. This will keep the bed warm tonight:

Edited October 13, 2018 by Gen. Applewhite

[Judge Roybeanbag 11821]

What type and brand of sausage is that?  Looks great.

 

[utee94 15869]

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

1 hour ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

What type and brand of sausage is that?  

 

The lighter ones on the left are Conecuh cajun sausage from Alabama, and the right is Comeaux's andouille, which Central Market carries. Both are a step up from the Cajun Hollar andouille I usually grab at HEB.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

I made some red beans past week.  I had some leftover  small red and yellow sweet peppers that I threw in with the green bells.  It was .... not good.  They give off a tangy flavor that just wasn't right.   Moral of the story: stick to the basics. 

[NateHitch 1282]

Perfect time to start this up!  Well done, I'll add something to this thread soon

[dcbc 14544]

Cross posting this, but I've been doing a variation of Franklin's beans recipe lately in the Instant Pot.  5 minutes of prep and an hour cook time (no soak). 

1 lb pinto beans

1/2 white onion chopped

Kosher salt, coarse ground pepper, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder

1 cup of brisket chopped into 1" cubes (or pulled pork or sausage).

Dump into instant pot and run it for 1 hour on manual.

Let it depressurize for about 10 minutes after. 

Eat.

[Alex Karev 1031]

Anyone else ever try cooking beans in Chicken or Beef Broth? Best if beans are soaked overnight, drained, then pressure cooked in the broth. Just don't add salt until you taste.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11821]

2 hours ago, Alex Karev said:

Anyone else ever try cooking beans in Chicken or Beef Broth? Best if beans are soaked overnight, drained, then pressure cooked in the broth. Just don't add salt until you taste.

Yeah have done both, always good.  

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

Yes. In some dishes, it's great, but in others I think it overpowers the bean flavor. I most dishes I use water, but as you can see with the above red bean recipe, the entire thing ends up as a smoky pork stock.

[Alex Karev 1031]

Sure. I agree and will try that. I have however won a couple of cookoffs with my beans cooked with chicken broth. You can't put to much because of the sodium content. 

[WhatTheBuck 28814]

You could use low sodium broth. 

[formermav43 4606]

I always use low sodium broth. Allows you to have control of the salt content.

[Alex Karev 1031]

19 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

You could use low sodium broth. 

Good point. I Will be looking for it. Thanks.

[Rimbo 26165]

I made the most divine bean burritos in the universe yesterday.

Made refritos from scratch. Guessing at the amounts here since I kinda wing it now.

stock

• 1 whole chicken
• several fresh-cut slices of ginger
• 1/4 C white cooking wine
• 1 T oil

Remove all the dark and white meat from the chicken and store it, or better yet, have it for dinner. Toss the gibs and bones and everything else you don't eat into a large pot with some oil and brown it. Toss in the ginger slices to sautee. Pour in the cooking wine and fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on super-low for 6-8 hours or so. Jar it up, with the fat and 1/2 tsp of salt for every 2 pints or so.

beans

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 1/2 brown onion, whole, unpeeled
• 1 T salt

Soak the pinto beans overnight in 8 C water. Drain water, rinse beans. Toss salt, onion half and beans into a large pot and bring to a boil; let simmer for 40 minutes. Toss everything but the beans.

red chile sauce

• 12 new mexican red chile pods, dried, stemmed, seeded
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 oz water
• 3 cloves garlic

Blend the lot until you've made a goo. Bring to boil, simmer for 40 minutes. Store overnight.

bacon drippings

• one pack of bacon

Cook the bacon. Eat the bacon. Save the drippings in a ceramic mug or something.

refritos

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• fuck-ton o' salt
• A big gollop of bacon grease
• olive oil... oh about 2 Tbsp
• the other half of the brown onion, chopped into itty-tiny bits
• a jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped into itty-tiny bits
• 1/2 cup of the red chile sauce
• about 1-1.5 cups of the chicken broth
• The beans from above, but with 3/4s of them smashed up

Sautee the onion, pepper, and spices in the oil and bacon grease. Throw in the broth, bring to a boil. Add in everything else. Stir regularly on pretty high heat until the beans come off the edge of the pan.

The cool thing about the NM red chile sauce is that not only does it really add some good flavor, it makes sure your beans look a golden reddish-brown instead of gray. Which is nice.

finally burritos

• 2 C steamed white rice
• The beans from above
• about 1/4 lb each of cheddar and colby jack, shredded
• uncooked tortillas

Heat up a tortilla on both sides. Leave one side slightly less, but the other wholly done. Put the done side UP on a plate and dollop on the rice, beans and cheese. Fold it up, then toast it again on each side. Repeat.

 

...

We typically have the chile sauce, bacon drippings, and chicken stock on hand, so this was less work than it looked for me.

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

That's what I'm talking about, although some Mexican rice cooked in nearly equal parts butter and chicken stock would take it to 11. I came off a whole30 diet a couple weeks ago and have had beans as the primary component of a meal at least once a day. I enter a room with my own fanfare these days.

[Rimbo 26165]

yep, I just used white rice... leftover... from the freezer. anything fresh would improve

[elfenix 34343]

saw this mexican rice the other day

 

[Rimbo 26165]

Y'know, in retrospect, I'm gonna say that white rice is just fine. Because the rice is there to add some texture, to extend the beans, and to absorb some of the liquid so it doesn't get drippy. And using plain white rice gets you that; ideally, the refritos blend in with the rice. 

[Steamboat1874 4089]

You know all of those are great but sometimes I like the true flavor of the beans so all I add are a couple of slices of bacon and salt and pepper.

That's it.

Damn good that way too.

 

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

Inspired by Rimbo, I had the good fortune of having some charro beans on the stove this morning as the storm rolled through the Tone. Everything was on hand already. Not pictured is a quart of chicken stock out of the freezer:

Had to use the quick soak method on the beans, which is to boil them for five minutes and then steep off the heat for an hour. That's just enough time to prep the rest. Start by browning up a pound of bacon:

Remove the bacon, then fry up the onion and jalapeño in the rendered fat. Once they are soft, add a few cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon each of cumin and oregano, along with the bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Then a chipotle with some sauce, and a can of Rotel:

Add the beans and 4 cups of chicken stock, bring it to a boil and then simmer for an hour until the beans are tender and it's as soupy as you like it:

Don't forget to dump the rest of the bacon back at some point. That's all the garnish this bowl needed:

 

 

[Rimbo 26165]

On 4/5/2019 at 2:06 PM, Steamboat1874 said:

You know all of those are great but sometimes I like the true flavor of the beans so all I add are a couple of slices of bacon and salt and pepper.

That's it.

Damn good that way too.

 

Still good to add an onion when you boil them, to get that sweet infusion going.

Yum

In other news, I tried the recipe last night with a chopped habañero added. I got chemical burns on my hand and the steam caused my family to cough in the next room over. We had to open all the windows and doors.

Sooooo good. But so spicy. But so good.

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

elfenix, that Mexican rice looks whack as hell. Here is how my abuelita from the Westside used to make it.

Start with some sort of fat. Any fat will do, but some are better than others. I had leftover chicken skin, so decided to render out a bit of schmaltz:

Remove and eat the crispy skins, then sauté half an onion and scrape the pan. Deglaze with a splash of water if you have to:

Once the onion is soft, toast two cups of rice:

Two cups of rice gets 2 1/2 cups of liquid. I use 2 cups of very strong chicken stock and a half cup of sofrito. Warm it all up before adding to the rice so that it will come to a boil almost instantly. Once it does, cover and turn the heat all the way down:

After 20 minutes, turn the heat off but don't touch the lid. Let it steam for another 10-20 minutes. Then fluff it up:

 

 

 

[jimmyjazz 46293]

What's your sofrito?  That looks a whole lot more legit than my meager attempts.  For one thing, it's a lot less liquid.  Go on . . .

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

Goya brand. The constant 2:1 water to rice ratio is a pernicious myth. You have to play around to find what works for your particular cooking setup and type of rice. Here is a good explanation from Cooks Illustrated.

Quote

Despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally.

We have a rice pilaf recipe (see related content) that works without fail when made using 1 1/2 cups of rice, but many readers have written us to ask why they end up with an inch of mushy rice on the bottom of the pot when they try to double it. The reason is that, despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally. After running a series of tests, we confirmed that rice absorbs water in a 1:1 ratio, no matter the volume. So in our original rice pilaf recipe, which calls for 1 1/2 cups of rice and 2 1/4 cups of water, the rice absorbed 1 1/2 cups of water. The remaining 3/4 cup of water evaporated. But here’s the catch: The amount of water that evaporates doesn’t double when the amount of rice is doubled. In fact, we found that when cooking a double batch of rice using the same conditions—the same large pot and lid and on the same stove burner over low heat—as we’d used for a single batch, the same quantity of water evaporated: 3/4 cup. Hence, simply doubling the recipe—increasing the amount of rice to 3 cups and the water to 4 1/2 cups—leads to mushy rice because there is an excess of water in the pot. The bottom line: To double our rice pilaf recipe, use 3 cups of rice and only 3 3/4 cups of water.

 

[CooterBrown 18034]

Thanks for that article in rice water ratios. Through trial and error, I’ve found less water is better for Mexican rice or really any rice that has additives like chicken and rice. For mine I use plain tomato jalapeño salsa in lieu of the soffrito. Don’t use a roasted version or anything fancy. This is actually a good use of Pace. I use the Bolners Fiesta Spanish Rice seasoning, chicken stock, onion, salsa, and a Goya Sazon packet.

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

Good call on the salsa if you don't have sofrito on hand. I have used it myself in a pinch and the results were indistinguishable. I like mine to taste mostly like chicken, and will sometimes add a scoop of Better than Boullion to an already strong homemade stock. I think the sofrito mostly just adds a pleasant orange color to the rice, as I can't and don't want to taste the tomatoes.

As for the rice, one of the reasons I always cook two cups is because I have zeroed in on the precise ratio and process that works for me. If I had to cook it on an electric cook top (which can't go from high to low heat instantly), or with something other than my 3 quart sauce pan, I'd probably fuck it up. Once I figured that out I got rid of my rice cooker because it was always mushy by comparison, and I like it fluffy and chewy.

[jimmyjazz 46293]

6 hours ago, Gen. Applewhite said:

Goya brand.

Shit.  I can't eat their stuff -- I have a bad soy allergy.  Any recs on a substitute?  I see y'all agree on tomato based salsa -- same 1/2 cup? 

My gut wants to do something like 4 oz pico + 1/2 cup additional stock but that's probably starting to deviate too much.  Appreciate the feedback.

Edited April 9, 2019 by jimmyjazz

[jimmyjazz 46293]

Quote

Despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally.

We have a rice pilaf recipe (see related content) that works without fail when made using 1 1/2 cups of rice, but many readers have written us to ask why they end up with an inch of mushy rice on the bottom of the pot when they try to double it. The reason is that, despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally. After running a series of tests, we confirmed that rice absorbs water in a 1:1 ratio, no matter the volume. So in our original rice pilaf recipe, which calls for 1 1/2 cups of rice and 2 1/4 cups of water, the rice absorbed 1 1/2 cups of water. The remaining 3/4 cup of water evaporated. But here’s the catch: The amount of water that evaporates doesn’t double when the amount of rice is doubled. In fact, we found that when cooking a double batch of rice using the same conditions—the same large pot and lid and on the same stove burner over low heat—as we’d used for a single batch, the same quantity of water evaporated: 3/4 cup. Hence, simply doubling the recipe—increasing the amount of rice to 3 cups and the water to 4 1/2 cups—leads to mushy rice because there is an excess of water in the pot. The bottom line: To double our rice pilaf recipe, use 3 cups of rice and only 3 3/4 cups of water.

OK, this makes a ton of sense.  The evaporated water is a function of time and surface area exposed to air.  Of course things don't scale as one increases the quantity, UNLESS one also scales the size of the cooking vessel.

I never thought of that.

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

29 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Any recs on a substitute?

As Cooter mentioned, salsa works. I'd be willing to bet that just plain old tomato sauce would work too (honestly, that's pretty much what Pace is).

If all I had was pico I would sauté it with the onions to soften the chunks, and not count it as part of the liquid ratio, so just add more stock. Also, I would not expect it to impart enough orange color to make it look right.

 

[CooterBrown 18034]

45 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Shit.  I can't eat their stuff -- I have a bad soy allergy.  Any recs on a substitute?  I see y'all agree on tomato based salsa -- same 1/2 cup? 

My gut wants to do something like 4 oz pico + 1/2 cup additional stock but that's probably starting to deviate too much.  Appreciate the feedback.

• 1 cup of rinsed rice
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup salsa
• Just shy of 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbs Fiesta spanish rice seasoning
• 1 Sazon packet

Saute rice and onion in a bit of olive oil until lightly browned.

Add everything else.

Bring to boil, stir, reduce heat to very low, cover.  Cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and leave covered for 15 minutes.

Edited April 9, 2019 by CooterBrown

[hopkinsnhorns 533]

I'm bookmarking this page for future reference.  I wasn't involved in the bean entry last year, but our beans were fucking terrible.  They soaked them in piss beer overnight then cooked with chicken stock and some fresh pico from HEB.  It was lazy, and it tasted like garbage.  These look 1,000,000x's better.  Those pork hocks look sexy as hell.

[Gen. Applewhite 227]

I once tried to make drunken beans using the Cooks Illustrated advice to use a shot of tequila instead of a bottle of beer. I said tried because it was an unmitigated disaster.

If it's Kosher, I could repost the baked beans and cassoulet recipes that were on the old site before it went to shit. But elfenix rocked my world with his Cajun cassoulet Frankenbeans a few months ago. I am still in awe and will defer to him on that.

I'm currently scouting dal makhani and rajma recipes.

I won't stop until my wife demands separate bedrooms.

[Saint Austin 745]

For recipes that call for dark chili powder and medium chili powder, which do y’all use for each?

[shadow_operative2.0 16040]

Believe you're looking for this one. 

 

[next2naus 439]

this thread needs to be perma pinned

[jimmyjazz 46293]

9 hours ago, Saint Austin said:

For recipes that call for dark chili powder and medium chili powder, which do y’all use for each?

It's not the answer you're looking for, but if I were needing such a thing, I'd roll my own.  You could follow Robb Walsh's lead, which would yield an ancho-based "dark" chili powder, and modify it by using lighter chiles for "medium".

Quote

3 Tbsp dried ground chile pepper (ancho chile for "dark", guajillo or New Mexico Red chile for "medium")

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano (Greek oregano in a pinch)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

 

Note that guajillo & New Mexico red chiles can be hotter than ancho chiles.  I know you can get ancho powder in bulk at Central Market.  I've seen New Mexico Red & guajillo powder at Savory Spice Shop, although I believe they only have one Texas outlet (which is in Austin).  You can find them all online.  I use Mount Hope Wholesale, but that's a pound or more at a time.  Buying jarred spices a few ounces at a time is just too expensive.  

The next step would be to grind stemmed & seeded whole chiles instead of buying pre-ground powder. 

 

[South Austin 52636]

I’m making pinto beans for the first time ever and have a question — do any of you thicken your beans by taking a cup or two and puréeing them in an immersion blender or food processor? I’ve done that with black eyed peas, but don’t know if the pinto beans will thicken enough on their own.

[Brisketexan 105464]

I’m making pinto beans for the first time ever and have a question — do any of you thicken your beans by taking a cup or two and puréeing them in an immersion blender or food processor? I’ve done that with black eyed peas, but don’t know if the pinto beans will thicken enough on their own.

If you want some to break up and thicken, just keep cooking to soften and give them a few good stirs. Especially the ones near the bottom will break up. You don’t need to get fancy and blend them.

[PantsTent 2002]

I’m making pinto beans for the first time ever and have a question — do any of you thicken your beans by taking a cup or two and puréeing them in an immersion blender or food processor? I’ve done that with black eyed peas, but don’t know if the pinto beans will thicken enough on their own.

Just smash some with a spoon against the side of the pot.

[South Austin 52636]

I broke down and blended about half a cup of the beans. What can I say? I like it thick. #nohomo 

Since my daughter decided to be a vegetarian for Lent, I couldn’t add bacon or a ham hock. But they turned out fantastic. Onion, garlic, coriander, oregano, chili powder, cumin, a cinnamon stick, adobo sauce, and salt and pepper.

Edited February 28, 2021 by South Austin

[jimmyjazz 46293]

5 hours ago, South Austin said:

I’m making pinto beans for the first time ever and have a question — do any of you thicken your beans by taking a cup or two and puréeing them in an immersion blender or food processor? I’ve done that with black eyed peas, but don’t know if the pinto beans will thicken enough on their own.

Every time I make charro beans I do this.

[Brisketexan 105464]

I broke down and blended about half a cup of the beans. What can I say? I like it thick. #nohomo 
Since my daughter decided to be a vegetarian for Lent, I couldn’t add bacon or a ham hock. But they turned out fantastic. Onion, garlic, coriander, oregano, chili powder, cumin, a cinnamon stick, adobo sauce, and salt and pepper.

Cinnamon? Was that left over from your last batch of Cincinnati chili?

[South Austin 52636]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Cinnamon? Was that left over from your last batch of Cincinnati chili?

Don’t knock it. I was skeptical when the recipe called for it, but it added a nice layer of flavor.

[Etexhorn13 3053]

Last weekend was the first good chili weather weekend in Houston, so I had to make a pot. I decided that other than eating it as frito pie, my second favorite (ok maybe my first favorite) way of eating chili is to plop down a couple of corn tortillas heated in a pan, fry a couple of eggs to where they’re still runny, and top with a hefty portion of chili and cheese. I call it Redneck Benedict… it would maybe be my death row last meal. 
 

god damnit this ain’t the chili thread 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Etexhorn13