Frijoles Charros and Baked Beans

Frijoles Charros

Ingredients

* 500g dry pinto beans, baking soda.

* 6 garlic cloves, 2 onions, 1 bunch green coriander, 250g salt pork in one piece, 1 chorizo, 2 rashers streaky bacon, salt, pepper, ground chipotle, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, MSG, 2 tbsp chopped jalapenos, oil, 50g plain beef jerky, low-salt chicken stock, 1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, liquid smoke. 

First, soak the beans in water for at least twenty-four hours and boil them with a half-teaspoon of baking soda for two hours. Drain the beans in a colander and leave them aside.

Next, do all of your cutting and prep-work. Peel the garlic and onions, crush the garlic and slice the onions into narrow petals. Put them both aside, in one bowl. Wash the coriander, pick all the leaves off the stems, discard the stems, and put the leaves aside in a bowl.

Fry the salt pork, skin-side down in a big, heavy frying pan, for about ten minutes. Turn off the heat, and take the pork out of the pan. Let it cool, trim off and discard the skin, slice the pork into 2mm thick slices, and put it aside in its own bowl. Slice the chorizo and bacon into small bits, and put it aside in its own bowl.

Mix about a teaspoon of salt with a teaspoon of pepper, two teaspoons of ground chipotle, a tablespoon of smoked paprika, two teaspoons of cumin, two teaspoons of garlic powder, two teaspoons of dried oregano, and two teaspoons of MSG. Put this spice mix aside in a small bowl.

Now, fry the salt pork slices, the chorizo, the bacon, and the jalapenos in the frying pan with the fat in it. Add a splash of oil and fry the meat until it’s all nicely browned. Add the garlic, onions, and tomato paste, and fry it all together for a good ten minutes. Add the spice mix and fry it for another few minutes, stirring it around as it fries. Add the cooked beans, the jerky, half the coriander, about two cups of chicken stock, the tomatoes, and a few drops of liquid smoke. Put the lid on, turn the heat down as low as it will go, and cook the beans for a few hours. Adjust the seasonings and serve it.

Serves six.

MUCH better than American baked beans!

Now, I’ve been pretty harsh towards the old baked beans. So, if you do want to make them, here’s my recipe for

Boston Baked Beans

Ingredients

* 500g dry white beans, baking soda, 250g free-range streaky bacon, 1 large onion, ½ cup maple syrup or molasses, 2 tsp dry mustard, salt, pepper, brown sugar, chicken stock.

Soak the beans in water for at least twenty-four hours and boil them with a half-teaspoon of baking soda for two hours. Peel the onion and mince it up finely. De-rind the bacon, mince it up finely and fry the bacon until it’s cooked and lightly crisped. Place the onion in a casserole dish. Add half the bacon, then the beans, then the rest of the bacon, and pour the bacon fat over the top. Mix the syrup or molasses and mustard with some salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Pour this mix over the beans and add enough stock to just cover them. Bake the beans at 150ºc (300ºf) for two hours. Stir them thoroughly and bake them for another four hours, stirring them every hour. Taste the beans to test their level of doneness and adjust the seasonings.

Serves four to six.