From my cookbook…Dave’s Borracho Beans
Summer is coming up. Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day. And what do you think of when you think of these summer holidays? Yes, grilling and barbecue, of course! You will love these Borracho beans as a side for any of your outdoor meals. Or, they go great with taco Tuesday or any Mexican dish!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
David Giustozzi’s Borracho Beans
Back in the day…Don’t you love that saying? Anyway, when it was summer and I was grilling, I would make potato salad and beans of some kind. Typically, one of several recipes I have for baked beans or perhaps Dave’s pinto beans. Not anymore, I have a new favorite I’d like to share with you! Unlike some bean recipes, this comes together quickly.
If you go to a Mexican restaurant, you will typically get refried beans with your entrée. Some of the better restaurants might offer charro beans, but the best ones will offer borracho beans. What’s the difference? Well, the answer depends upon who you ask. Here’s how I define them. Borracho beans are charro beans with “a little more.” Typically, that “little more” will consist of using beer instead of water and adding additional meat such as ham. My version is jazzed up a little bit by the addition of a ham hock to give the beans a “little more” flavor.
If you have a stock pot and a Dutch oven, cooking time will be greatly decreased if you use both, as you can perform tasks simultaneously.
Ingredients
1 lb. pinto beans (Note 1)
½ teaspoon salt
1 ham hock
7 cups of water
1 small onion, quartered, for boiling the beans
½ lb. thick bacon, chopped (Note 2)
1 to 1 ½ cups ham scraps
1 small yellow onion, diced, for the final product
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon oregano, Mexican preferred
12 oz. dark Mexican beer
Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (Note 3)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped (Optional)
Sliced jalapenos, cilantro, or lime wedges for garnish
Directions
Drain and rinse the beans. Rinsing them will reduce the “gas” effect that pinto beans can have. Just sayin’…
In a stock pot, add the beans, salt, ham hock quartered onion and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes until they are almost done. They will continue to cook in the next steps. When the beans are done, drain in a colander over a stock pot. Reserve the liquid, return the beans to the stock pot, reserve.
While the beans are cooking, cook the bacon in a Dutch oven (Note 3). Remove the cooked bacon, drain most of the grease and add the diced onion and ham scraps, cooking until onion is translucent. Add jalapeno (if using) and continue cooking until onion and ham just start to brown on the edges. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro and beer and cook about 10 more minutes until most liquid is evaporated.
Add the beer, then the beans and finally the cilantro and cook for 15-20 minutes, adding any reserved liquid to ensure beans are thick and soupy but not too thin. Remove from heat and allow to rest about 15 minutes or more. The beans will continue to absorb liquid and thicken.
Serve with Mexican food, grilled or barbecued meats. Enjoy your new favorite bean dish!
Notes
Soak the beans overnight by covering with 2” of water and adding 3 tablespoons of salt. The salt will tenderize the beans, so they are tastier, and they will cook considerably faster. Also, if you can, buy a higher-quality bean, not the cheapest bag you find. You will be rewarded when you take your first bite.
I suggest just cooking the whole pound at one time and saving half for breakfast the next day. Drain most of the fat, leaving enough to cook the ham.
The first time you make this, use about half of the adobo pepper, and see how you like it. I use two, but it starts to get a little hot, especially if you use the fresh jalapeno pepper.
Dave’s Borracho Beans
Afterburner Success Partners
What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
Up Next
Back to our regular post schedule.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy