Frijoles Borrachos Rápido
(free-HOH-less bo-RRAH-chos RAH-pee-doh)
La Tamalada y Las Fiestas: Gathering Around the Holiday Table
A weeknight bean dish isn’t an all-day heritage project; traditionally, drunken beans demand dried pintos and hours of patient simmering, but when you crave the pintos your grandmother left simmering on the back burner, there is zero shame in taking a twenty-minute shortcut with supermarket pintos. By rendering high-quality bacon, building a fierce sofrito in the sizzling bacon fat, and drowning it all in half a bottle of Shiner Bock and the starchy liquor of canned pintos, you can cheat time—just mash a few beans against the pot to build a gravy thick and starchy enough to coat a spoon. Drink the rest of the beer while the broth thickens.
Before you start
Mise en place is critical.
Have your onion, jalapeño, and garlic completely chopped before you start rendering the bacon, as the cooking process moves fast once the fat is hot.
Ingredients
- thick-cut smoked bacon4 oz
- white onion1/2 med
- jalapeño or serrano peppers2 small
- garlic cloves3 large
- canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes14 1/2 oz
- canned pinto beans30 oz
- dark Mexican beer12 oz
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Render the bacon.
Place a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has completely rendered and the meat is deeply golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving all that glorious liquid gold behind.
- 02
Build the sofrito.
Add the white onion and jalapeños to the bacon fat. Sauté until the onions are just softened and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until highly fragrant, taking care not to let it brown.
- 03
Add the tomatoes with restraint.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and their juices. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes just until the tomatoes begin to break down but still hold their shape—do not overcook this base into a mush.
- 04
Initiate the drunken simmer.
Pour in the undrained pinto beans and the Mexican beer. Stir well, scraping up any dark, caramelized bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low.
- 05
Thicken with the grandmother's mash.
Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to cook off the alcohol and meld the flavors. About halfway through, use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to gently smash a handful of beans against the side of the pot. Stir them back in; their natural starches will thicken the broth beautifully.
- 06
Finish off the heat.
Remove the pot from the stove. Taste the broth and season with the kosher salt. Stir in the reserved crispy bacon and the fresh chopped cilantro, waiting until the very end to protect its fragile aromatic oils.
Notes
The vegetarian adaptation.
Swap the bacon fat for 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and replace the smoky depth by adding 1 finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce during the sofrito stage.
The non-alcoholic route.
If you don't cook with alcohol, seamlessly swap the beer for 1 1/2 cups of rich chicken or beef bone broth. You are now making authentic Frijoles Charros—the exact same traditional borderland dish minus the maltiness of the lager.
From Cook Tex-Mex.