Borracho Beans (Drunken Beans)

Oh how delicious and satisfying a humble bowl of beans can be. Especially when you make them from scratch. Cooking dried beans is so simple and the result is soooo much better than canned. All you need is a little extra time.

Borracho beans are usually made with pinto beans and have beer added for flavor. Some good quality bacon, jalapeño & serrano peppers, and a few spices transform these beans into something special. It is a simple dish where the beans are the star. Because it is so simple, you want really good ingredients. Canned beans will work, but you won’t get the same result. I discovered Rancho Gordo dried beans several years ago and I am obsessed with them. They are heirloom beans far superior to anything you will get at the grocery store. I have bought them at markets in the Bay Area, but when I am home in So Cal, I order them regularly. They really are that good. This particular bean is their Rio Zape. It is in the pinto family and it is oh so good. Any dried pintos will work in the recipe, but if you can get your hands on a pound of Rancho Gordo Rio Zape beans…you will have a masterpiece.

Rancho Gordo’s site has some great info on cooking dried beans here. They give a slow cooker option which is great if you want to cook your beans during the day so you can make your borracho beans in the evening. I serve my Borracho Beans with a simple cilantro lime rice. I just sauté some garlic and scallions in a little butter and olive oil and add 3 cups of cooked white rice, plenty of chopped fresh cilantro, and juice from one lime. They also make a delicious side to a grilled tri-tip or flank steak!

Of course you will want some garnishes on this…plenty of queso fresco, a little sour cream, sliced radsihes, jalapeños, and more fresh cilantro. Serve with some corn or flour tortillas and you have the perfect meal. This feeds four of us for dinner and makes great leftovers.

If you don't want to cook dried beans from scratch, you can use canned beans. See alternate directions below.

Borracho Beans (Drunken Beans)

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried pinto beans (like Rancho Gordo’s Rio Zape bean)

• 8 oz bacon, cut crosswise into small strips

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced

• 1 serrano pepper, minced

• 1/4 to 1 canned chipotle pepper - chopped small, plus a tsp of the adobo sauce **see note below

• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tsp ancho chili powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 bottle Negro Modelo (or similar beer)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1-14 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis (like Muir Glen’s)

salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes:

• – crumbled queso fresco

• – sliced radishes

• – fresh cilantro

• – sour cream

• – chopped green onion

Directions

*Notes on cooking dried beans:

Before cooking your beans, you can either soak them for 6-8 hours or do the “quick soak” method that is described on the package of store bought dried beans. If you get your beans from Rancho Gordo, they are very fresh and don’t require soaking if you didn’t plan ahead. That said, I always soak first to get the quickest cooking time. Dried pinto beans will take anywhere from one hour to 2 1/2 hours depending on how fresh they are. My Rancho Gordo beans cooked in about an hour and 15 minutes with a 6-8 hour pre-soak. Don’t add anything to the beans except water. All of the flavor will come in after they are cooked.

**Notes on chipotle peppers:

Canned chipotle pepper can add a significant amount of heat to your pot of beans. I usually use around 1/2 of a pepper from the can chopped small and add about a teasoon of the adobo from the can. If you want more heat, add more. Be cautious though, it can get to spicy pretty quickly.

Directions for cooking the dried beans:

If you soaked your beans, drain the soaking water and give them a rinse in a colander. Put them in a heavy-bottomed pot (I like to use a Dutch oven) and fill with enough fresh water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a full boil and cook at a full boil for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to as low as you can go while still getting a simmer. Keep a lid on but cracked to let out some steam. Check and stir every so often and make sure they are cooking at a bare simmer and taste after an hour to see if they are tender. If the water level gets below the beans, add some more hot (not cold) water to keep them covered.

Directions for the Borracho Beans:

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is nice and crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Remove all but about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease.

2. Sauté the onion in the reserved bacon grease until golden and tender. Add the minced jalapeño and serrano peppers, minced garlic, chopped chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, and ancho chili powder, and cook for a few more minutes.

3. Add the beer, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the can of tomatoes and bring to a good simmer (no lid) for 15 minutes.

4. Add the cooked bacon and the cooked beans with their cooking liquid to the pot along with a teaspoon of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Bring to a simmer without the lid and cook for about 30 minutes to let the liquid reduce and thicken. Taste for seasoning… I usually add about another teaspoon of salt. You can also add a little more adobo sauce or chili powder if you want more heat. Serve with rice, tortillas, and optional garnishes.

   
   

   To use canned pinto beans:

   After step 3, add four 14 ounce cans of pinto beans (I usually drain 2 of the cans and add 2 with the liquid).