Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2011

I left out the beer and I used rotel canned tomatoes/green chiles instead of the tomatoes & peppers, and I soaked the beans first. I had to cook the beans several hours longer than called for to get them done. By that time the tomatoes had pretty much disintegrated. The finished product tasted good but not much different than my ham and beans recipe, not really like a mexican side dish.

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Reviewer:

Stacey

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Feb. 8, 2011

I thought the broth was the best thing about this – it is delicious! The beans themselves never got soft enough for my liking, although they are edible. If you are looking for plain refried beans this is not it – the flavor will be too strong (try Refried Beans without the Refry on this site). I have a few tips based on my experience. First, be sure to soak your beans overnight even though the recipe doesn’t say so, otherwise they will never get soft. Cooking time/setting – Cooking time and high/low setting will probably need to be adjusted to your crockpot. The beans need to be at a simmer/low boil for several hours to get soft. My beans weren’t simmering on low so I had to turn up the heat and still cooked for 6+ hours. Also, your beans will cook faster if you use hot water at the beginning, and if your beer is not cold when you add it. Amount of dried beans – I found that 1 lb of dry beans is equal to roughly 2.5 cups. Beer - if you don’t like beer to start out with then just skip it in this recipe. If you are using beer, only use one that you like the taste of.

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Reviewer:

JUMAHA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fridley, Minnesota, USA

Living In: Maple Grove, Minnesota, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2011

Try using a smoked turkey leg (or 2 depending on size) Remove skin, cook until meat is ready to fall off. Remove, cool, pull off the meat and return the meat to the beans. Tastes and looks like big chunks of ham with so much less fat.

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Reviewer:

Anna

Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2011

I have been making this recipe for several years. It is my "go to" recipe when I make Mexican food of any kind. The only change I make is that I substitute a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes. I always have canned tomatoes on hand, and I only really like fresh tomatoes in the summer when they are in season where I live. Also, I never soak my beans beforehand, and they always turn out great.

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Reviewer:

KNLBAIN

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2011

My fav Mexican restaurant serves a cup of bean soup when you sit down. By soup I mean with a broth consistency. I tried to copy a few times and while taste was ok still wasn't like they served. Found this recipe and do a bit different but just for personal preference. Soak beans, drain, cook at simmer so they don't break. Drain again and add ingredients, simmer for half hour. I do swap beer for chicken stock and like to add ham if I have some hanging around. Also use a fresh jalapeño or two instead of canned. And as usual, I skip the salt. Double up to freeze some for later.

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Reviewer:

PAMELA D. aPROpos of nothing

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: El Paso, Texas, USA

Living In: Dallas, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2011

Very good beans! My husband I will definitely make them again.

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Reviewer:

Jennifer

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2010

This is an excellent recipe. It's exactly what I was looking for and turned out even better than expected. I altered the recipe just slightly. I didn't use a full can of beer. To me, it would have been too soupy. I added a bit more salt and used Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon. (I did this to cut down on fat.) It added great flavor, and I'll probably always use that instead. Finally, I added more jalapeno peppers than suggested because we really like a lot of heat. I soaked the beans overnight and cooked them on high for 1 hour and then all day on low (about 6 or 7 hours). I'm not sure they'd be done after only 4.

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Reviewer:

halo776

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2010

This was tasty but next time I will add more tomatoes and more jalapenos. Thanks for the recipe.

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Reviewer:

amberleigh

Reviewed: Jul. 9, 2010

I would have given this 5 stars, but it just seemed to be lacking a bit of something. Needs a bit more flavor. Odd taste from the beer, not unpleasant, just odd. Perhaps it was the type of beer we used. Added habanero to the mix as well. Will likely use the recipe again but with some tweaking.

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Reviewer:

BUNDHRI

Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2010

Sorry for the low rating, I just don't know how everyone else rated it so high? I soaked them overnight and followed the directions but they were still hard, so I had to cook them longer. And mine lacked flavor...perhaps it is my fault and I cooked it wrong?

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