Easy Beans (Borracho-Style Pinto Beans)

· 3 min read
mexican beans pork sides recipes

These are the beans I make when I’ve got scrap pork belly kicking around and no particular plan. They start life as charro or borracho beans — the beer is the “borracho,” Spanish for drunk — but I take every shortcut available. Canned pintos instead of dried, whatever fatty pork trim I have, and a long lazy simmer to make it all taste like it took more effort than it did.

The move that makes them worth writing down is rendering the pork belly first and building everything on top of that fat. Onion, poblano, garlic, and tomato all cook down in rendered pork fat, so by the time the beans go in, every layer is already seasoned. The beer adds a little bitterness and malt that keeps the whole pot from tasting flat.

These are great alongside the carne asada marinade with some of the roasted salsa spooned over the top.

Easy Beans (Borracho-Style Pinto Beans)

Servings: 6-8 as a sidePrep: 15 minCook: 2+ hr

Ingredients

  • ~1/2 lb pork belly scraps or trim, chopped
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 2 poblanos, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, diced
  • 4 cans (about 15 oz each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (12 oz) beer
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the chopped pork belly. Let it render slowly, stirring now and then, until the fat is out and the pieces are browned and a little crisp. Don’t rush this — the rendered fat is the foundation for everything else.

Add the onion, poblanos, and garlic to the pork and its fat. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook a few minutes more until they start to break down.

Add the drained pinto beans, the beer, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add a splash of water if the beans aren’t nearly covered.

Bring to a gentle simmer, then drop the heat to low and let it go, partly covered, for a couple of hours. Stir occasionally and add a little water if it gets too thick. They’re done when the broth has thickened and the beans are creamy and rich. Taste and adjust the salt at the end.

Notes

  • Low and slow is the whole thing. An hour will get you edible beans; two-plus hours gets you the creamy, melded texture that makes them worth it.
  • Any fatty pork works. Belly is ideal, but bacon ends, leftover carnitas, or a smoked ham hock all do the job.
  • Beer choice: a Mexican lager keeps it traditional, but anything not-too-hoppy works. Skip the aggressive IPAs — the bitterness gets concentrated as it reduces.
  • Leftovers get better. Like most bean pots, day two is the payoff. Loosen with a little water when you reheat.