Frijoles charros (cowboy beans) is a traditional Mexican dish. It is named after the traditional Mexican cowboy horsemen, or charros. The dish is characterized by pinto beans stewed with onion, garlic, and bacon. Other common ingredients include chili peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, ham, sausage, pork and chorizo. It is served warm, and is usually of a soupy consistency.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frijoles_charros
Frijoles charros is a traditional Mexican dish, made with pinto beans and bacon. Its simplest versions are pretty much just that- beans, bacon, and some onion and chili peppers, but most recipes include other ingredients like tomatoes, ham, chorizo, and even hot dogs! It’s a hearty dish, filling enough to be a meal by itself with some fresh tortillas on the side for dipping, or it can be served as a side dish with other Mexican dishes like carne asada or tacos.
Charros are the Mexican cowboys, and they would cook these beans over their campfires, flavoring them with ingredients that could easily be packed in their saddle bags, things like onions and smoked meat that wouldn’t spoil riding in a leather bag in the sun for days on end. As the dish became something people made in their homes, and refrigeration became more common, more perishable ingredients like sausages and tomatoes made their way into the recipe.
Frijoles charros are generally made quite soupy, with lots of bean broth infused with the flavors of beans and smoked meat, and that wonderful silky texture that comes from starches in the beans cooking out into the water. My batch didn’t turn out quite as liquid as I had intended, probably because I left the lid off during the final simmer, so a bunch of water evaporated. It was still definitely a soupy dish, but the focus was on the beans and meats, rather than the broth.
Mexican chorizo is a different beast from Spanish chorizo. The latter is a dry-cured sausage, while the Mexican version is a fresh sausage that needs to be fully cooked before eating. It often comes in casings, but is usually removed from the casing and used in its ground meat form. The brand I have been able to find here in the grocery store I usually shop at is pretty crappy; it comes in a plastic tube, becomes an unappetizing, reddish paste when heated, and leaves a lot of fine particles that stick to the pan and burn easily. I think I have seen one of the other stores in town with a better meat department that makes its own (or at least sells chorizos in actual casings, in meat department packaging). Next time I want to do something with chorizo, I need to remember to see if I can find a better option.
It’s been over three weeks since I cooked this recipe. My general motivation levels have been lacking recently, and this is one of the many things I’ve been procrastinating on. I probably had more to say about it back when I researched the recipe, but I can’t remember what it was.
Frijoles Charros
Serves: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2:30-3:30
Total: 2:40-3:40, plus overnight soaking
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1 lb. dry pinto beans
7 cups water
4 ¾ cups chicken stock
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
7 thick slices of bacon, chopped
4 hot dogs, sliced
3 slices of ham, diced
½ lb chorizo, crumbled
½ onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 ½ serrano chilies, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
6 Tablespoons Cilantro, minced
Optional:
6 cups pre-cooked or canned pinto beans, in place of dry (skip to frying the bacon to start your recipe)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
⅓ yellow onion, in the beans (remove once beans are soft)
¾ Tablespoon salt in the beans
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced (1 pepper, not 1 can)
3 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
1 15-oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 ⅓ cups chicharron
2 teaspoons oil
Pick over your beans and remove any bad beans or foreign objects. Rinse well and drain. Cover with cool water and leave to soak overnight.
Drain your beans and add them to a large pot, along with water, chicken stock, 2-3 whole garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, covered, for 1-2 hours, until beans are soft.
Put bacon into a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook without stirring until the fat begins to render. Once bacon is about half-cooked, add the hot dogs and ham. Cook and stir until bacon is crispy and hot dogs and ham are browned. Remove the meat from the pan and drain off any excess fat, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the chorizo to the pan and cook until browned. If your chorizo releases a lot of fat, drain off the excess. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and minced garlic and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomato and cook until it softens and breaks down. Use the juices the tomatoes release to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
Remove the garlic and bay leaves from the beans and combine the vegetables, meats, and beans (with their liquid) in one of the pots. Add salt, black pepper, and cumin, and bring to a simmer.
Add the cilantro and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until flavors are combined.
Taste for seasoning and serve with fresh tortillas for dipping, or as a side with your favorite Mexican dishes.
Lorin cooks Legumes 