Frijoles

260 mins
Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Spill beans everywhere on a clean countertop to start the cleaning process.
  2. 2Separate the beans by picking out all rocks, cut-in-half beans, and beans with skin fallen off.
  3. 3Once separated, put the beans in a pot with cold water and gently agitate them to rinse.
  4. 4Drain the rinsing water from the beans.
  5. 5Add 4 pounds of beans to a pot and add 7 quarts of water.
  6. 6Add 1 whole roughly chopped onion to the pot.
  7. 7Add 1 whole head of garlic to the pot.
  8. 8Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high.
  9. 9Add about 7 bay leaves to the pot.
  10. 10Add about 3 tablespoons of black pepper to the pot.
  11. 11Gently mix the ingredients in the pot.
  12. 12Cover the pot and let it cook for about 2 hours.
  13. 13Let the beans come to a boil.
  14. 14Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and let them cook low and slow for about 2 hours.
  15. 15After 2 to 2 and a half hours, add 1 pound of fat back to the pot.
  16. 16Next, add 1 whole pound of bacon to the pot.
  17. 17If needed, add more water (e.g., 8 more cups) to the pot.
  18. 18Give the mixture a gentle stir.
  19. 19Cover the pot again and allow it to gently boil for another 20 minutes.
  20. 20After 20 minutes, taste the broth and adjust for salt if needed.
  21. 21Perform the smash test by taking one bean, letting it cool, and checking if it smushes easily to determine if they are done.
  22. 22Pull the beans off the heat and let them cool for a little bit.
  23. 23For storage, separate the beans from the juice, measure out 2 cups of beans and 1 cup of juice into ziplock bags.
  24. 24Lay the ziplock bags flat and allow them to cool fully before freezing.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs beans
  • cold water
  • 7 quarts water
  • 1 whole chopped onion
  • 1 head garlic
  • 7 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsps black pepper
  • 1 lb fat back
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 8 cups water

Equipment

potstovespoonziplock bags

Tips

  • Sort beans carefully to remove debris and bad beans.
  • Do not soak beans beforehand if you are in a hurry.
  • Adjust salt to taste after adding salted meats.
  • Store cooled beans and broth in freezer bags for later use.