Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans)

Name: Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans)
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican (Northern)
Ingredients: 400 g Dried pinto beans; 150 g Bacon; 150 g Mexican chorizo; 150 g White onion; 15 g Garlic; 300 g Ripe tomatoes; 2 Jalapeños; 20 g Fresh cilantro; 2 Bay leaves; 10 g Salt

Northern Mexico's brothy 'cowboy beans': pinto beans simmered soft, then loaded with bacon, chorizo, tomato, onion and jalapeño so the pot turns into a smoky, soupy bean stew you eat with a spoon and a stack of tortillas.

Quelle

Rezept von Northern Mexican home kitchens · 🏺 Traditionell

Northern Mexico — Frijoles charros ('cowboy beans'), named for the traditional Mexican horseman, is a dish of pinto beans stewed with pork — bacon, chorizo or ham — plus onion, garlic, tomato and chili. It is served brothy, as a side or a main.

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Zubereitung im Video · 3 Videos

Villa Cocina Diabetic Superkid Jenny Martinez

⏱ 150 Min.🍽 6 Portionen🔥 300 kcal🇲🇽 Mexiko🌶️

Zubereitung

Put the beans in a large pot with the bay leaves and 2 L of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, for 1½–2 hours, until completely tender. Top up with hot water if they get too dry.
💡 Salt only after the beans are soft. Adding salt too early is the classic reason beans stay firm and split — it toughens the skins before the insides can cook.
While the beans cook, fry the bacon in a dry pan over medium heat until it renders its fat and browns. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking it up, until crumbly and cooked through.
Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and cook until soft, then the tomatoes and jalapeños. Fry 5–6 minutes until the tomatoes collapse into a rough sauce.
Tip the whole fried mixture — fat and all — into the pot of soft beans. Season with salt and simmer everything together for 20 minutes so the flavours marry and the broth turns smoky and red.
💡 Frijoles charros are meant to be soupy — keep them loose and brothy, not thick like refried beans. If the pot tightens up, just stir in more hot water.
Stir in the chopped cilantro off the heat and serve in bowls with warm tortillas — as a hearty side to grilled meat, or a meal on its own.

💡 Tipps

This is the go-to pot for a carne asada gathering — it simmers away on the side while the grill does its work, and it feeds a crowd cheaply. Double it without changing anything but the pot size.
For a meat-free 'frijoles de la olla', skip the bacon and chorizo entirely and cook the beans with onion, garlic and a little oil — a plain, comforting pot of brothy beans that is naturally vegan.