I made this recipe for my husband and some of his friends last night.  This morning I received a phone call from him that one of his friends requested my bean recipe because they were so good he wanted to make a pot of his own today.

This is typical when I make my beans.  Kids love them, everyone loves them.  So, I thought I’d share with the rest of the world.

What you will need:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of beans

1 can Rotel or generic diced tomatoes and peppers

1 – 2 Knorr brand chicken bullion cubes

Fresh cilantro (1/2 to 1 cup of leaves, stem free; depending on how much cilantro you like)

6 – 8 oz of salt pork

Spices:  Comino, Chili Powder, Salt, Black Pepper

Water

What to do:

Rinse beans in a large bowl, removing any black or bad beans.  Add beans to a large cooking pot.  You will want a pot large enough to hold two to three inches of water over the beans.  Fill pot with beans with water up to about two to three inches above the bean level.  Remove any beans that are floating as those are typically also bad beans.

Note:  I do not soak my beans prior to cooking because when soaking them they absorbed some of the water they are soak in.  Therefore, when you cook them they are already saturated and won’t be able to absorbed the flavors of the seasoning and additional ingredients.

Next, add can of Rotel/diced tomatoes and peppers, salt pork, fresh cilantro, 2 Tablespoons of Comino, 2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder and 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper and 1 Tablespoon Salt.  Add in chicken bullion cubes, breaking them into pieces and dropping randomly in pot.

Note:  The salt pork goes in raw, but it will cook during the process and it infuses more flavor into the beans.  Some people prefer to use bacon, cooking it first.  Salt Pork is one of the details that make this recipe so good.

Place pot on burner and bring to a boil.  Once boiling reduce heat to medium and cook for two to three hours.  You will need to check the beans about every twenty minutes to stir so beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn and also to add more water as needed.  When adding more water be sure to add hot water, not cool water, as cool water will cause the beans to split.  Add water to bring about an inch over the bean level.  You will probably need to do this one to three times.

The reason why I do not fill the pot with more water originally is because I want the flavors of the ingredients to be well absorbed in concentration into the beans without leaving the ‘pot liquor’ or bean juice watery.  Some brands or harvest of beans require more water than others so again, I do it this way.

Beans are done when soft and flavorful.  Taste your beans about half way through cooking and add additional seasonings as you feel necessary.

These go great with bar-b-que, fajitas, and other mexican dishes.  They are also good with cornbread on a cold day.

Be sure to check out my famous Spanish Rice recipe to go with this.

Other recipes you might also like:

Pan Seared Chicken (I get hits on this daily; this recipe is easy and delicious!)

[Healthier] King Ranch Chicken (you’re family will never know you ‘healthy’d it up a bit.)

Italian Delight with a Twist

Or, for me about me and what I’m up to you can find me at I’m an Optimist; I’m a Glass Half Full Gal.