Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2009

Didn't have serrano peppers so subbed chipotle in. Used as a side for a meal then filling with tortillas for the next day... Thanks for the recipe!

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KMYOHO

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Reviewed: Jul. 13, 2009

Great, easy and plenty of good feedback for alternative recipes. I usually just cook like this and love it.

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Sean

Cooking Level: Professional

Living In: Charleston, South Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2009

This is absolutely the easiest way to cook delicious beans! No veggies to chop makes mama happy...new favorite way to cook beans when serving mexican food. Followed recipe exactly and added a little salt after cooking. Perfect!

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poptop9906

Home Town: Dallas, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2009

They're beans! They are supposed to be somewhat bland - they are a side dish to compliment the other items in your meal. This is not a soup recipe. The only thing I change is when adding the water the second time - add one whole beer. Any beer, but a medium ale is really good. Not all beans taste good cooked with beer, but I think it really makes pinto's great. Another trick, you can try covering and cooking them in a 350 degree oven instead of the stove top. For some reason, the all around heat makes the texture better than the stove top.

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bullcitybob

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Lake Ozark, Missouri, USA

Living In: Durham, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2009

This needs a few more ingredients (salt/pepper, for instance) to make this a decent dish. My folks were from Texas. We had beans almost every day, including pinto beans. Mom cooked very plainly: pinto beans, salt and pepper, bacon or ham hocks or a ham bone. That was pretty much it for her bean recipe. I prefer something with a bit more ingredients. If you don't like the heat from the hot peppers, cut them first, and remove the seeds. Alot of heat are in those seeds. The reason you let the beans sit after the first cooking of an hour is so they will get soft. Oh, if you add salt, add it just before the beans are done. Salt will toughen the beans. Most people prefer letting the beans soak overnight and then change the water. That takes the "toot" out of the beans.

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mermaid

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Coupeville, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2009

This is a very good basic recipe for pinto beans. Like other reviews suggested I also had to add a bit more flavor, that's why I only gave it 4 stars. I added 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp of powdered chicken broth and 1/2 chopped onion. I only had jalapenos on hand so I used 2 of those instead. I also didn't change the water. I like a more concentrated bean broth. I let it simmer for a total of 2 1/2 hours and geez louiz was it good. My husband loved it! I might cut the bacon back a little next time, but I won't tell him that. :) Thanx for the recipe.

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Shasta

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2009

I had to give it 5 stars because this is how I have seen it done here in Texas my whole life and they taste like they should. Pinto Beans. We always added hot chow chow, or some sliced jalepenos, or what have you to our own bowls and salt and pepper as you want. Just reminds me of lazy Sundays. Oh, and make a big skillet of HomeSteaders corn bread found on the site.

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ANDREASKYE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mineral Wells, Texas, USA

Living In: Rhome, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2008

I added some extra things to spice my beans up, but this was a great basic recipe- much easier than soaking them overnight.

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SilverNBlack

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jun. 13, 2008

Like many slow-simmered recipes, this one is better the second day. The liquid is thicker, and the flavors are blended, so the bacon flavor is more subtle. If you're not familiar with serrano peppers, do note that they're quite a bit hotter than jalapeños, and provide quite a kick when they get soft enough to break open in the pot of beans. I've found that one, simmered whole and then broken with a spoon and stirred around provides a moderate amount of heat, which is always easier to add than subtract, of course. This is a good base recipe that lends itself to a lot of experimentation and customization: I recommend heating a bowl of it, melting a cheese single and stirring in some chunky salsa for a great bean dip.

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GradSchoolKitchen

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Apr. 29, 2008

Easy, great dinner served with shredded cheddar and sour cream on top and slices of avacado on the side.

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NJGARDENLADY

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Ozone Park, New York, USA

Living In: Sayreville, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2008

I enjoyed it the first time, doing exactly what the recipe called for, but I loved it the second time when I added onions, jalapeno, garlic, diced tomatoes, cummin, cilantro, chili powder, and a copious amount of sea salt. It's a great recipe for starting out and finding what else you might want to add. Don't forget to soak your beans!

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Mr. Treves

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Hollister, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2008

this is a great recipe!!!!!!!!!!!

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lisa3857

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2007

I didn't like this much at all. My husband thought they were ok but they taste more like ham hock & beans that Mexican beans. I put in bacon, onion, garlic, tomatoes and chopped jalapeno along with the serano peppers. It wasn't terribly flavorful and not remotely spicy, even with all of that. Also I don't think the beans should cook so long, mine began to fall apart. I wonder if they lost some of their flavor from cooking so long.

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IMATECHGIRL

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Logan, Utah, USA

Living In: Kaysville, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 29, 2007

Simple and delicious! This is how my grandmother used to make them for me, and cornbread goes great with them.

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Jennifer

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Reviewed: Feb. 28, 2007

Not hard to make and tast was not bad.

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Royal

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Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2007

Great start to the guaracho beans like at the Mexican Restaurant and I've tried to duplicate at home. Add onions to the first cooking, some cumin, and some garlic. At the last few minutes , add fresh cilantro. Delicious side dish without all the added fat to refry them.

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NANCY28

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Reviewed: Aug. 20, 2006

This is a pretty good soup recipe. It's very similar to the way my mom makes them. But faster with the "quick soak" method.

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KimsFrontPorch

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Living In: Detroit, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 5, 2006

This recipe was good but very bland. I added some chopped onion and salt, which made it a lot better.

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daltry

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Reviewed: Jun. 24, 2006

It really is easier to just not change the water again, but you might get a slightly less appealing looking broth. The other thing is that these are not "refried beans", so if that's what you are looking for you wont get with this recipe. One suggestion though (from a Mexican), follow these directions as they are. Once you have your cooked beans, take a skillet and pour some oil (maybe about 1/4 cup) heat the oil and take beans from the pot (drain the liquid first) and fry them in the oil. Mash them up while they are frying. You could also stir in some milk for a creamier texture.

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GABESGIRL

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Los Angeles, California, USA

Living In: Monrovia, California, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 13, 2006

I'm trying to figure out if the simmering for one hour is a misprint or if you really do it twice as the directions state??? I can't find any other "refried bean" recipe out there and this is as close as I can find, but I don't want to mess it up, did you all do the simmering twice?

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