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The HBHW Recommends
My Best Pinto Beans
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- 1 pound dry pinto beans, about 2-1/3 cups
- 2 quarts of tap water
- 2 to 4 ounces margarine or bacon or salt pork or 1/4 cup bacon grease
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Soak the beans in 2 quarts of cold water overnight, or in 2 quarts of boiling water for an hour or two. After soaking, or the next day, bring the beans to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat, so the beans merely simmer. Cover and simmer for half an hour. Then add the margarine or bacon, salt and pepper. Cover again and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour. The beans should be tender and fragrant. Bite into one to see if it is cooked though. When they are tender, they are ready to serve.
I always serve these beans with Corn Bread and Mixed Greens. This is just about my favorite meal in the whole wide world. Some folks squirt ketchup on these beans when they eat them, that is a fine southern tradition, although I prefer them without it. The small amount of bacon adds to the protein quality of the beans, and it also turns the bean broth into something called pot licker. That means the juice is so good, you want to lick the pot. Soak up the bean juice with your corn bread.
Babies of about a year old are fond of cornbread mashed up very smoothly in a little pot licker from the beans. Just make sure to cool it down and mash it very smooth. It was a favorite of all of my kids when they were learning to feed themselves.
Got some leftover pintos? Turn them into refried beans or try one of the other yummy bean recipes.
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8 Responses to “My Best Pinto Beans”
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June 27th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Thank you for the cornbread recipe. I cook for a rescue mission and I needed a plain recipe since I can’t spend a lot of money for things like Rotel and cheese and etc to put in the cornbread.
Have you ever tried Anazazi (Sp) beans? They are a little different from pinto and so delicious. I have never seen them in the store. I have to order them mailorder. Thanks again. Rosemary Downs
August 10th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
The correct term is not “pot licker,” but “pot liquor.”
August 30th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I love pinto beans and cornbread!
For Rosemary-the health food store I frequent carry Anazazi (Sp) beans. It is with their bulk items. You might price them at a health food store near you, and see if the price is right!!
November 15th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Hello: Your recipe is great and the truly secret ingredient for homemade pintos is certainly the bacon grease. Smooth and creamy! I enojoy them all the time. Thanks again!
December 15th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I have loved these alllll my life. My KY nana made them and we always eat them with corn bread and garnish with onion and sweet pickle relish. I skip the onion but load up on the relish… I am getting ready to make some with a ham bone I have left over from dinner last night.
December 20th, 2009 at 1:54 am
I grew up on corn bread & beans, and i have bean wantng to try and make them on my own thanks for the push to try it.
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:48 am
Thank you, for your perfect recipe…just like my mother made for us, growing up. My mother used to say (she was the perfect lady, quite educated, well read, and raised with good moral and ethical values), “I am a hillbilly, and that is a good thing, and because I am a hillbilly, you know I am sincere.”
January 5th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
The correct spelling is Anasazi. They were Natives that lived in the southwest and disappeared about 1,500 years ago. The beans have a very simalar taste to pinto beans.