Drunken Beans Cooks Illustrated Recipe 435

Steps:

• Cook's Illustrated notes: You'll get fewer blowouts if you soak the beans overnight, but if you are pressed for time, you can quick-brine your beans. In step 1, combine the salt, water, and beans in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe. Serve with rice. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275°F. Pick leaves from 20 cilantro sprigs (reserve stems), chop fine, and refrigerate until needed. Using kitchen twine, tie remaining 10 cilantro sprigs and reserved stems into bundle. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined bowl and set aside. Add onion, poblanos, and garlic to fat in pot and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tequila and cook until evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Return to heat. Increase heat to high; stir in 3 1/2 cups water, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, beans, and cilantro bundle; and bring to boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are just soft, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove pot from oven. Discard bay leaves and cilantro bundle. Stir in beer and tomato paste and bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer vigorously, stirring frequently, until liquid is thick and beans are fully tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve, passing chopped cilantro, lime wedges, Cotija, and reserved bacon separately. To make ahead: The finished beans can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Before reheating, thin beans slightly with water.

Steps:

• Put mayocoba beans into a large container with enough cool water to cover by several inches. Let beans soak 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain mayocoba beans and rinse thoroughly; put into a large stockpot. Pour enough water into the pot to cover beans by a few inches; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and place a cover on the pot, and cook at a simmer until beans are soft in the center, about 90 minutes.
• While the beans simmer, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and serrano pepper and simmer until the tomatoes have softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the liquid begins to thicken, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Cook and stir bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very crispy, about 10 minutes; remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.
• Cook ham cubes in the bacon fat in the skillet until browned, about 5 minutes; remove with slotted spoon to the plate with the bacon to drain.
• Once the beans have cooked, stir the tomato mixture, bacon, ham, beer, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and chicken bouillon granules into the beans; season with sea salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the beans are completely softened, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• In a 6-to 7-quart ovenproof kettle cook bacon, onion, oregano, and garlic over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until onion is browned lightly. Add beans, water, jalapeño, and beer and bring to a boil. Bake mixture, covered, in middle of oven until beans are soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Add additional water if beans begin to dry out. Mixture should be soupy with beans very soft but not falling apart.)
• Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and bake beans 10 minutes more. Check seasoning, adding remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt if necessary. (Beans may be made 2 days ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered.)

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, the broth or water and the beer. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the jalapeno slices. Cook until beans are tender, about 30 minutes, adding water if necessary to keep beans covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.