Growing up, it seemed that mama cooked pintos and cornbread every week. We all have those “go to” recipes that we make often, and that was one of hers. I hated those nights because I did not care to eat either as a kid. However, you ate what mama put on the table, or you didn’t eat. When I moved out and started cooking for myself, I did not cook pinto beans or even eat a pinto bean for a good 20 years. Not until I was served Frijoles Charros at a Mexican restaurant a few years ago. It was love at first bite! These were not mama’s plain pot of beans! These beans have all sorts of great ingredients that lend an excellent flavor. The beans are extremely satisfying served with warmed flour tortillas, cornbread or as a side to any Mexican dish.
I shared a recipe on notjustsundaydinner.com for Frijoles Charros in 2012. It is a delicious recipe that starts with dry pintos. This recipe starts with canned beans. It’s faster, and if you haven’t planned ahead, it works out great. This recipe came from traegergrills.com, and I cooked these beans on our Traeger grill. They can be baked in the oven also.
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 lg. onion, peeled and diced
- 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (or jalapeno)
- ½ lb. Mexican chorizo sausage
- 5 (15.5-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
- 1 (10-oz.) can Rotel
- 1 (12-oz.) bottle of beer
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1½ tsp. dry Mexican oregano
- Chicken broth, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to grill to 325°F.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until done. Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined dish and set aside. When cool to the touch, dice the bacon.
- Remove the chorizo from it's casing. Add to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned through. Remove the sausage to another paper-towel lined dish and set aside.
- Add the garlic, onion, and serrano chiles (or jalapeños) to the Dutch oven. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions start to soften but watch closely so that you do not burn the garlic.
- Add the bacon, sausage, pinto beans, tomatoes, beer, cumin, and oregano; stir to combine. If the mixture seems a little dry, add chicken broth 1 cup at a time.
- Cover and place the Dutch oven on the grill or in the oven. Bake the beans for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. These beans are traditionally soupy, but if they seem too soupy, remove the lid during the last 15 minutes of cooking. If the seem dry, stir in a little chicken broth. Stir in the cilantro during the last 15 minutes of cooking and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Made these along with your southwest corn pudding and some homemade salsa. Definitely a crowd pleaser. Also took some to an elderly neighbor and she said she loved it.
Thanks for sharing!