Beans are a staple at my house. They’re cheap, healthy, and my kids love them.
I think my favorite way to eat them is in chili. Soak small red or black beans (or ideally half a pound of each) for a few hours.
Trim 1.5 pounds stew beef, add black pepper and salt. Brown in pan. Add in onion and fresh peppers (bell, poblano, jalapeno, serrano) and cook until onions are clear.
Pour a beer in there, Modelo works great. Add the beans. Add a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Don’t bother chopping, they’ll break down. Add a jar of salsa. Add water to cover the beans. Add chili powder, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and more salt & pepper to taste.
Simmer until the beans are fully cooked, probably around a couple hours. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread.
And before anyone says “beans don’t belong in chili,” they absolutely do.
I’m always on the lookout for more ways to cook beans. What’s your favorite?
I’ve never successfully reconstituted beans, its the one thing I’ve tried I can’t cook. I think my water is too hard, I’ll simmer them at low temp for literally days in the crock pot and they don’t get soft. I’ve read Guides, I’ve seen videos, the beaniverse just said
fuck this girl in particular.I get the canned mixed kidney beans and make chili with them. Back before I went vegetarian I’d cook them with some cross-cut ribs and marrow. Nowadays I use minced mushrooms and seitan
Dry beans need to be pressure cooked for the best results. An instant pot can do it if you want the simple appliance. Google the settings for the beans you want to cook. They come out better than anything you can buy at the store, but results can depend on your experience.
I guess I wasn’t clear when I said the beaniverse said ‘fuck me’. I’ve wasted probably fifteen pounds of dried beans using pressure cookers over the years. They still cronch in the middle.
As I told the other person, I think my Water is too hard and I’m not gonna buy bottled water just to make beans.
Either that or the same temporal anomoly that makes people lost track of time around me also effects bean time.
I’ve read that cooking them with baking soda added can help shorten the cook time. Might be worth an experiment?
Although beans are one of the best canned foods anyway.
I’m never touching a dry bean again, lentils are where its at nowadays.
I’ll keep the baking soda in mind if I ever make another attempt
Bean freshness matters.
If your regular supermarket’s beans don’t get tender in a reasonable amount of time, they may have been sitting around for a long time and are really, really dried out.
Try another source.
Also, yay for lentils and split peas!