For those of you who like beans, here's my classic that took years to perfect. No charge. Lol! Wish I had gone into the restaurant business...
Soak two pounds of pinto beans overnight. NO, don't buy canned beans! They're loaded with sodium, and I just don't like them. Easy isn't always better.
-Add 3.5 quarts water, and 16oz chicken broth to a large pot. I add 2TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil to it, but you don't have to. If you're watching sodium, omit the chicken broth.
-Add beans
-Bring beans to a boil, and let them boil uncovered for 1 hour. Stir every 15mins or so to avoid sticking.
-Add one ham hock, or eight strips bacon if you can't find a ham hock at your store. No, I don't eat the ham hock. It's just there for flavor. I guess a person can eat the hock if they want. Some guys will strip the meat out part way through cooking so they can eat the stuff. Each to their own...
Now you'll start mixing up dry spices in a small bowl, and here's what you'll need:
-1 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp gourmet garlic powder (Or use 1tsp minced garlic, or 4-5 crushed garlic cloves. I prefer real garlic)
- 1 tsp gourmet onion powder (Or 1 large white onion diced, which is better imo, but if you want simplicity, stick with the powder. And remember, the garlic and onion powders should be gourmet. I use McCormick's organic if I'm too lazy to use the real deal.)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
Now the wet ingredients you'll mix in a separate bowl, or just pour in as I do:
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 TBS bbq sauce
At the one hour point, bring down the heat to a very slow boil for another 45 minutes, and stir every 15mins. After the 1hr 45min point, add in all dry spices, and wet ingredients, and stir. Turn down the heat, and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. You'll want to run your overhead vent to keep the house from smelling like a spice factory blew up the entire cooking process. Enjoy!
This 2lb recipe should give you numerous servings. And if you can't consume all of this in a week, freeze what you won't eat. You're getting protein, carbs, fiber, and yes, flavor.
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