Bacon fat and roasted Hatch chiles transform dried pintos into deep, smoky beans built for the long simmer
Ingredients
Ingredients
- For the Beans:
- 4 oz bacon, cut into lardons
- 10 cloves garlic, diced
- 4 Hatch/Anaheim chiles, roasted, sweated, stemmed, seeded, cut into strips, and diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 12 cups of water
- 2 pounds dried pinto beans
- 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken
- 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon roasted vegetable
- 2 Tablespoons Ace Kickstart®
- Bringing it All Together :
- 2 cups brisket burnt ends, chopped
- 4 small onions, peeled with root-end intact, quartered down to just above the root-end
- 2 14-oz cans fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, drained
Method
-
01
Prep bacon, garlic, chiles, and onion
15 minChiles should already be roasted and sweated per ingredient list.
-
02
Fry bacon lardons until very crisp
8 minUse a large, thick-bottomed soup pot.
-
03
Sauté garlic and onion until tender
5 minRender that bacon fat low and slow until the garlic and onion are soft and translucent — you're building your flavor base here, so don't rush it or brown the garlic.
-
04
Deglaze with vinegar, then add water
3 minClear the pan bottom with vinegar before adding water.
-
05
Add beans, chiles, bouillons, Ace Kickstart and mix
3 minDump everything in and stir it together so the dried beans are fully submerged and the spices hit every bean evenly — you should see the water turn a rich, rusty color from the chiles.
-
06
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover
150 minCook 2.5 hours until beans are al dente; taste and adjust seasoning.
-
07
Char quartered onions until falling apart
12 minCan use broiler, grill, or gas stove flame; keep root end intact.
-
08
Add charred onions, burnt ends, and tomatoes
2 minTomatoes should be drained.
-
09
Simmer for 30-60 min to blend flavors
45 minLet this simmer uncovered so the beans soften and the flavors knit together; you're looking for beans that are creamy inside but still hold their shape, and the broth should taste balanced between the chile heat and savory depth.
From Mike's Notebook
Render the bacon until it shatters — fat carries flavor, but crispy bits anchor the broth.
Don't skip the vinegar deglaze; it cuts through hours of simmering and sharpens the whole pot.
Char those onions hard enough to blacken — the burnt edges are what make the final bowl taste right.