Pinto Beans

love these delicious Frijoles Charros!

January 7, 2025 by Becky Spoon

Frijoles Charros is my absolute favorite! It’s a complete meal with flour tortillas, cornbread, or chicharron. This traditional Mexican recipe is known for its authenticity.

Charro beans are named after the famous and traditional Mexican cowboy horsemen, called “charros”, it’s such a comforting bean soup.

Frijoles Charros. What’s in the recipe?

Pinto Beans
oil for cooking the beans
salt
onion
tomato
jalapeno
Hot dogs or frankfurters
chorizo
cilantro

I enjoy preparing my own chorizo, which is both simple and tasty. What I appreciate most about it is its reduced greasiness compared to the store-bought chorizo in Texas, which tends to be very greasy unlike the cured chorizo. To address this, I prefer making my own. Here is the recipe for my delicious homemade chorizo: Delicious Homemade Chorizo with Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Refried Beans

I also make guacamole to go with my fajitas and here is that recipe: https://the2spoons.com/1-delicious-guacamole/.

Here’s the link for my fajitas that I served the Charro beans and guacamole with: https://the2spoons.com/easy-grilled-skirt-steak-fajitas-and-shrimp/

Fajitas, guacamole, these yummy beans, homemade flour tortillas….delicious meal.

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Frijoles Charros

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Servings: 8 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican, Texmex

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 lb pinto beans, rinsed and soaked
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, removing the veins and seeds, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Frankfurter's of your choice
1/2 lb chorizo
Handful of chopped cilantro

Equipment

Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker, or Slow Cooker

Method

In a large pot add about 6 cups of water and one pound of beans. Add 1 tablespoon salt and one tablespoon oil. Cook until the beans are tender.
While the beans are cooking, dice 1/2 of a small onion, one jalapeno and 2 roma tomatoes. Slice the bacon into small pieces and slice the 3 Frankfurters into small pieces.
Start with sauteing the bacon until it starts to brown. Add the frankfurters and cook until they have slightly browned. Drain the excess fat and add the chorizo, cooking until it has cooked through. Then add the onions and jalapenos. Mix and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When your beans are tender, add your mixture and a handful of cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use vegetable broth instead of water. You don’t want to use too much water if using an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker because it does not cook down like cooking stovetop does. If you soaked your beans overnight they will take less water.

Quick, Satisfying Cowboy Beans

April 3, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I love these Cowboy Beans. You know the kind of beans I’m talking about, the beans you get in a little cup at a Mexican food restaurant? Charro Beans? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/frijoles_charros They are absolutely delicious.

This recipe came about because I was making tacos for Allen, Taco Tuesday you know, and I was trying to think of something different, not just the usual TexMex ground beef tacos. I had some ribeye steaks in the refrigerator that I didn’t just want to grill and serve with a baked potato so I decided I’d make ribeye steak tacos. Oh, yum! I was even looking forward to those!! Then, I was wondering, “how will I serve them”? That grilled ribeye steak deserved so much more than just some lettuce and tomatoes. I started thinking about how good beans would be with the ribeye, so there you go. Quick, easy, satisfying….all of the above!

Yummy and delicious these beans are perfect just as a side dish or a starter for your Mexican food dinner or lunch, or just by themselves.

Quick, Satisfying Cowboy Beans

I cooked these beans in my Instant Pot; however, you can cook them stovetop or in a slow cooker. There’s two steps, first to cook the beans then second to add the additional ingredients that make them the cowboy beans. Be sure and serve them when you make my Chipotle Grilled Ribeye Steaks!

Qick Cowboy Beans

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican, Texmex

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Beans: In the Instant Pot or on the Stovetop

1 lb dried pinto beans (soaked if you are cooking stovetop)
2 Tbps lard or bacon drippings
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
salt

For the Quick Cowboy Beans

the cooked beans
4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup pickled jalapeno slices
salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, optional

Method

For the Beans

To the Instant Pot add the beans, lard and onion and cover with water about 2 inches above the beans. Set the Instant Pot on beans mode (should be 30-35 minutes) and cook until the time has elapsed. Then, do the quick steam release. Leave the beans in your Instant Pot.
If you are going to cook stovetop, I would soak the beans the night before, combine all the ingredients adding about 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 2 hours or so until tender. I start my stovetop beans out with a lid, then when they begin to soften, I remove the lid and cook uncovered so the juice will begin to thicken.
If you are using a slow cooker, the same instructions apply as stovetop. The myth about salt preventing the beans from softening is not true. You can add salt from the beginning. I would only add about a teaspoon if you add to beginning to prevent over salting. Then, when the beans are done check for seasoning and add salt to taste. You can do this step ahead, either the day before or even earlier that you have frozen.

For the Final Quick Beans

In a saucepan or skillet cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring regularly, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so, preventing burning. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Cook about 3 or 4 minutes blending the flavors.
To the beans in the Instant Pot, add this mixture and set the Instant Pot for an additional 10-15 minutes. When that time has elapsed, either do the quick release or allow to release the steam on their own.
If you cooked your beans in a slow cooker, add this mixture to your beans after the first 2/3 of cooking.
If you cooked stovetop, add the mixture after the two hour or so when your beans are done, then cook an additional 15 minutes or so.

amazing texas smoked brisket beans.

February 25, 2019 by Becky Spoon

These Texas smoked brisket beans are amazing! A little spicy from the seasoning mixture and a lot smoky from the smoked brisket! They are delicious and a great side for any BBQ meat and burgers.

I got this recipe from Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue! His recipe is in his book “Franklin Barbecue – A Meat-Smoking Manifesto”. Here’s the link for his book if you don’t already have you need it, especially if you want to learn his technique for smoking meats. https://amzn.to/2Sfm6A1

amazing texas smoked brisket beans.

I love these pinto beans! Sometimes I make them along side a smoked brisket, but usually I make them as a meal with cornbread.

Always a Favorite - Texas Smoked Brisket — Always a Favorite – Texas Smoked Brisket

I freeze the leftover brisket if there is any and just add it to these beans while they’re cooking. The brisket is so tender and adds so much flavor to the beans.

If you don’t smoke brisket and want to make these anyway, just stop at your local bbq joint and get some burnt ends or a half pound or so of brisket pieces. Chunks are better because you don’t want them breaking up in the beans. The lean end is usually what I use because it is less fatty which means the pieces will stay together, yet they have just enough fat to make these beans really good. Here’s the link for my Texas Smoked Brisket if you want to try it. https://the2spoons.com/always-a-favorite-texas-smoked-brisket/

Here’s the recipe for these delicious beans! Enjoy!

Texas Smoked Brisket Beans

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Course: BBQ, easy side dish, vegetable, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Beans

1 lb dreid pinto peans, picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup bean seasoning (recipe following)
8 cups water, plus more if needed
1 cup chopped brisket bark and 1 inch meat chunks

For the Bean Seasoning

1 cup chile powder
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup coarse black pepper
2 tbsp onion powder 2
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin

Method

For the Bean Seasoning

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container

For the Beans

Combine the beans, onion, bean seasoning, and water in a large pot and let soak for 4 to 6 hours or for up to overnight, which is actually what I do.
Add the brisket bark and the meat to the soaked beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 hours until the beans are tender.

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

November 30, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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I start my refried beans with pinto beans that I cook with just a little lard, an onion, and salt, that’s it. I have friends in Mexico and they make amazing refried beans that are so, so simple, yet delicious so that’s how I make mine now. Oh, I do make them in the Instant Pot too. I try to soak them overnight, then set the timer for beans which I think is about 35 minutes. The Instant Pot makes the most delicious, creamy pinto beans, or any beans for that matter.

After the beans cook, I remove the onion if its’ in big chunks, I add a little oil to a saucepan, then add the beans, reserving the bean juice to ladle in as I mash the beans.

One thing I found that is essential for refried bean making is the bean masher. I got mine from Amazon and I love it. The texture is key in refried beans and you don’t want to put them in a food processor. I like a little texture, or don’t wan them mushy at all. https://amzn.to/30wzoeK.

This is a great tool, inexpensive, but a must have!

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

I always have refried beans in my freezer because we eat so much Mexican food. I make them, them put them in small freezer bags to use when I need them. Since I store them in small bags, I can take out just what I need for that meal.

Here are some uses for them:

as a side to any Mexican dish
nachos
tostados
burritos
tacos
Mexican pizza
layered dip

These are just to name a few. I love to make them homemade. They are so simple and so much more delicious than the canned version. The canned version seems like they just process them. I like to make mine that they are mostly mashed with the bean masher, but there may still be a little texture. So good. Wish I had some now. Here’s my Mexican Pizza that I use them in:https://the2spoons.com/simple-mexican-pizza-easy-snack/.

and, another favorite:

https://the2spoons.com/homemade-chorizo-with-eggs-hashbrowns/

Homemade Chorizo with Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Refried Beans

This is one of Allen’s favorite breakfast!

Here’s the simple recipe!

Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

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Prep Time 10

Course: easy side dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 lb dried pinto beans
1/4 cup lard
1/2 tsp salt
1 white onion, halved
water to cover the beans by 2 inches and more as needed
1 jalapeno, seeded optional

Method

Wash your beans and put in a bowl or pan to soak overnight with a pinch of salt and the onion.
If you are cooking on the stove top, add the lard and bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours until tender. Check for salt.
If you are cooking in the Instant Pot, cover with water by 1 inch. Add the lard to your pot. Use the bean mode and set for 35-45 minutes. Since we are using these for refried beans, we want them to be pretty soft.
When the beans are done, add a little oil to a skillet or a sturdy saucepan. Add the amount of beans you want to use, mashing with your bean masher, adding liquid as needed. Serve with your favorite Mexican food, Texmex dishes as a side dish or stuffed in a burrito with cheese. We like to add cheese to the top when we are using them as a side dish! Great for nachos too!