Charro Beans are on the menu in the Mexican restaurants we frequented in South Texas this past February. As we cope with lots of stay-at-home time during the COVID-10 virus, I decided to give them a try.
I relied on several recipes from the internet but did make a few adjustments as I’m trying to rely on ingredients we have on hand. For example many recipes called for a can of Rotel tomatoes, but I used a bag of our blanched and frozen garden tomatoes; consequently I added them at the beginning of the cooking period and then put in a small can of green chilies near the end. It was also a chance to use some of our frozen jalapeño peppers, again from the garden. Also, had no fresh cilantro so used dry instead. I omitted the bacon (the beans were full of flavor even without it) and cut this basic recipe in half for just the two of us. Even then, it was a lot so I’ll use them in Cornbread Salad tomorrow.
Despite those changes, the recipe included below is written without my personal adjustments.
By the way —
The recipe is named after the traditional Mexican cowboy horsemen, or charros.
Bowls of Charro Beans were added to our assemble-your-own taco bar. |
Slow Cooker Charro Beans Servings 8 to 10 servings
1 pound dried pinto beans
4 to 6 pieces of bacon, chopped
4 cups water
2 cups beef broth (could use all water or even vegetable or chicken broth)
6 cloves garlic minced
Fresh jalapeño diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chiles)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Place the beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any stones or shriveled beans. Cover with water and soak overnight.
- Drain beans and place in the slow cooker. Cover with water and beef broth.
- Add chopped bacon, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until almost done.
- Stir in the Rotel and chopped cilantro; cover and cook for an additional hour or until tender (the total cooking time will likely be between 8 to 10 hours.
- When the beans are tender, season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (stir in about 1/2 teaspoon of salt at a time to avoid over salting). Note: Salt is added after beans are tender as it can interfere with the beans ability to soften if added in the early stages.
Recipe without photos . . .
Slow Cooker Charro Beans Servings 8 to 10 servings
1 pound dried pinto beans
4 to 6 pieces of bacon, chopped
4 cups water
2 cups beef broth (could use all water or even vegetable or chicken broth)
6 cloves garlic minced
Fresh jalapeño diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chiles)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Place the beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any stones or shriveled beans. Cover with water and soak overnight.
- Drain beans and place in the slow cooker. Cover with water and beef broth.
- Add chopped bacon, garlic, jalapeño,cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until almost done.
- Stir in the Rotel and chopped cilantro; cover and cook for an additional hour or until tender (the total cooking time will likely be between 8 to 10 hours, depending on how hot your particular slow cooker runs).
- When the beans are tender, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (stir in about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt at a time to avoid over salting). Note: Salt is added after beans are tender as it can interfere with the beans ability to soften if added in the early stages.
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