Refried Beans recipe - Pinto Beans

[Saviolo]

In keeping with the TexMex theme we've had the last few weeks for our videos, my hubby and I made a video on refried beans this week! We usually use pinto beans for this, but you can use black beans or others for this recipe. Also, we use bacon grease to refry them, but if you'd prefer to keep this recipe vegetarian, you can use vegetable oil or grapeseed oil, though it will change the flavour some.

We bought some cheap yellow cheddar for the melting cheese, and it came out a little greasy (just like real restaurant style!) but didn't really brown nicely on top. Lots of different kinds of cheeses you could use to get that nice crispy browned melty cheese on top, like mozzarella, pepper jack, colby, or something like that.

[left-of-center2012]

1. Thanks

I love refried beans as a side dish or in a burrito, which I made last week using TexMex brand canned refried beans.

Will definitely try this.

[Saviolo]

3. I'd love to know how they turn out!

Just remember to not salt them before or during boiling. Save the seasoning for when you're mashing and refrying them

[Kali]

2. OMG

no offense, but I have never seen such a small amount of beans made in my life.

it takes hours to cook a pot of beans, make a lot! they freeze well or if you want to be "authentic" just leave them on the porch at night and heat them up again during the day.

no comment on worcestershire sauce ( ) in there, but kudos on the bacon grease.

[Saviolo]

4. Haha!! It's a matter of being photogenic

It's much easier to show the technique when we're only making a small amount. Just looks better on camera. Our usual batch of beans is much bigger for sure!

[Kali]

9. yeah, I can see that

plus for some reason cooking beans is intimidating for people anyway. a giant pot might freak them out. we live on them so there is almost always a pot sitting around with beans in some stage of cooking - fresh for soupy beans, leftover for fast burritos, thicker for sides and if they last long enough refries. I usually use bacon or a hambone for flavor so by the time they get thick they are virtually refry texture without having to actually do it.

when we do refrying is the husband's job since we usually use the 14 inch cast iron pan

I don't think I have ever presoaked, I never think of it the night before and neither my Mother or Grandmother soaked so it isn't in my normal cooking brain, though the "scientist" in me is curious about what the difference would be, all other variables remaining the same.

[left-of-center2012]

5. "just leave them on the porch at night"

The racoons will love them too!

[Kali]

6. we have more trouble with skunks than racoons

and they don't climb so the beans on the washing machine are safe

[procon]

8. Easy fix - A pressure cooker cuts the cooking time to just 10 minutes.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of pressure cookery and use them daily to cook almost anything. I often cook 1/3 to 1/2 cup portions of dried beans, just enough to serve two. The soaking takes longer than the cooking, but since that doesn't require any effort on my part, except remembering to do it, no problemo.

[Kali]

13. I really should learn to use a pressure cooker.

especially in the summer. I don't know why I never have, just haven't. I have my Grandmother's up in the cupboard, I am sure I could get a new seal for it.

[procon]

14. For safety reasons, best leave grannies ancient pressure cooker on the shelf

and go checkout today's new, modern, and totally safe, goof-proof models. Any vintage pressure cooker from Grandma's day, lacks the safety features and efficiency of what is in use now. More than likely those old relics from the past were actually pressure canners , not pressure cookers, that were doing double duty to cook meals instead of canning.

Things have changed remarkably since the olden days, and the sleek pressure cookers available now are totally terrific and so versatile you can cook delicate recipes like a flan, cakes, seafood, or steamed veggies, to heartier foods like a beef pot roasts, pork roasts, and corned beef. I also use mine to cook one-pot casseroles, and three course meals with a main entree, a couple of side dishes or a dessert.

A whole roast chicken, a large turkey breast, meatloaf, a spiral ham will cook in about 12 minutes. Perfect rice is ready in 4 minutes, the same for potatoes ready for mashing or a potato salad. Pressure cookers are great for summer meals to precook meats for the grill, BBQ beans, fresh corn, hotdogs, brats, hardboiled eggs, baked potatoes... anything is possible!

I've published two pressure cooker cookbooks, so if you have any questions just ask or PM me.

[Kali]

15. I bet you are right, as that was about all she used it for.

I didn't know that, thanks. Are your books available? Link? I would love to learn more. My next planned kitchen appliance-that-I-have-no-room-to-store purchase is a good quality slicer, but I am intrigued about fast cooking - especially while it is so hot right now!

[procon]

16. Not sure if a link would violate TOS rules, but PM and I'll send it to you. nt

[Kali]

21. I think a link is absolutely fine.

besides, I asked for it and others might be interested if they read this thread. But if you are not comfortable, sent it via PM/

[procon]

7. Making me hungry!

We loves us lots and lots of Frijoles Refritos for easy summer eats from dips to tostadas, Mexican layered salads, quesadillas and burritos. I add traditional Mexican seasonings like cilantro, dried chilies, and a local menudo spice mix and cook them in a pressure cooker -- done in 10 minutes. I mix cheddar with Mexican cheeses like Quesadilla which is similar to Monterey Jack cheese and melts over the beans, or Manchego that is like a sharp cheddar cheese.

That yummy video made me get up and put some pinto beans to soaking for tonight... my DH and I thank you in advance!

[Saviolo]

10. My pleasure!

And yes, if we can get it we will certainly pick up quesada, or even crema if it's around. We have a few excellent Mexican dry-goods and import shops just around the corner from us, so we can often get some of the real deal, and the cheese shops usually have manchego, quesada, or even queso chihuahua if we're lucky!

We grow cilantro on the patio, so we almost always have it on hand (except in winter, this is Toronto after all!), and you're going to see a lot of it in our pico de gallo video next week!

[procon]

11. There's a gigantic mexican supermarket nearby with a wonderful cheese counter.

There must by a run of 50 feet with dozens of Mexican cheeses, creams, spreads and different types of sour cream. You can sample them and order by as much as you like by weight. Its a terrible place! LOL I could spend an hour just reading the name cards. One of my favorite summer meals is what the mister calls, Tostadas del Gordo, bean tostadas piled high with homemade pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, grated cheese and a big plop of tangy Crema Salvadorena on top. They are messy, but so delicious!

I have tell the story about my one and only attempt at growing cilantro. After potting the little starter plants I bought, I set them in front of the kitchen window. Later, I came back to find that my two sweet kitties had chewed them down to the stump. <sigh> Storebought cilantro it is then.

[Saviolo]

12. We're having different cilantro troubles this year

Due to the unseasonal heat and all the rain (we guess?) all of our cilantro went to seed right away. The thing about cilantro is that once it goes to seed, the leafy bits tend to die way back, so we harvested a bunch, and now we're just waiting for it to reseed and pop back up so we can have late summer cilantro again.

[dem in texas]

17. good winter crop ion Texas

I used to plant parsley and cilantro as winter crops in my herb garden. They don't do well in Texas heat. Now I am lazy and buy it the supermarket.

[dem in texas]

18. Slow cooker method

Before you go to bed (around 11:30) rinse a pound of dry pintos in hot water. Put in the slow cooker pot with 2 or 3 whole cloves garlic, one small onion, rough chopped, and a small piece of ham shank or ham hock. Put enough water so it is about over the beans by about 2 or 3 inches. Put on to cook on the low heat setting, put the lid on and go to bed. Next morning you will perfectly cooked pintos.

Remove the whole garlic cloves, the onion and discard. Take out the ham meat, remove any bones. You can chop the meat and put back in the pot. Add salt to taste while beans are still hot. You can go right to making refried beans now but I like to have my beans that I use for refries to stand in the fridge a day or so to develop more flavor. We use eat some the beans on the day they were cooked and save the rest for making refries.

When ready to make refried beans, heat some oil (1 o2 tablespoons) in a heavy skillet. When hot, add the beans and mash and cook until a creamy consistency is reached. If dry, add a little water. Correct the seasoning, a pinch of Gebhardts chili powder is good.

If you to want a good table presentation, spray a low baking dish with Pam, put in the refried beans and top with grated longhorn cheddar cheese. Put in hot oven (about 400) until cheese melts - about 5 minutes. You can leave in skillet, sprinkle cheese on top, cover for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

If I don't have leftover pinto beans, I open a can of refried beans, still brown in the skillet, usually add a little garlic powder or finely chopped garlic. Sometimes throw some chopped green chilies.

I like refried black beans and I use the canned type, but flavor them up, so good with fried plantains!

[Saviolo]

19. We've definitely done a pork and beans style thing like that

Though we don't have an actual slow cooker. We normally use our cast iron dutch oven for anything that requires slow cooking like that. Or sometimes our porcelain covered cast-iron from Le Creuset.

We do more with the flavouring when we're trying to make the beans more the centre of attention, for sure. Pork, garlic, maybe even some chopped-up dried chiles.

[dem in texas]

20. Not pork and beans

In pinto beans, only a tiny piece for flavor, but will throw any good ham meat back in the beans, even a small amount. Now when I cook black-eyed peas or navy bean, I like a big hunk of pork shank. I'll settle for some for ham hock, but it has more fat on it. Usually end up making soup from the navy beans. Also use a big hunk of pork shank when I cook split peas which I always make into split pea soup.

I mostly cook dry beans in the crock pot on low overnight. Don't have to watch, just sleep so easy. Sometimes, when I haven't planned ahead, I will cook split peas in a pot on the stove so I can move on to making the soup (my husband's favorite).