These Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans are the perfect blend of Southern and Mexican pinto beans styles. Tenderly irksome cooked with a ham hock and jalapeños, the lime adds a footling twist. Perfect for a burrito, these beans volition make y'all experience like you are in Texas, and actually, what more could y'all enquire for?

Originally posted February twenty, 2015

Traditional Tejano Beans (Twist on Mexican Pinto Beans)

On Monday Eric and I brought the kids to Muir Woods in the Bay Area with his parents who are visiting. We went on a cute hike in the Redwoods, and pretended we were Luke and Leia blasting Stormtroopers with Ewoks. I mean, Redwoods are great, but Redwoods + Star Wars? Better. Definitely improve.

For being a scrawny 4-year-erstwhile piffling girl, Charlotte is a pretty hardcore hiker. She did the whole 3-4 mile hike on her own, with no meltdowns and but minimal candy bribing. In other words, a complete success.

Sunlight shining in the redwoods with mother and daughter

Actually, the simply time she cried was when I squirted her in the face with a smash of cold h2o. Gotta keep these kids in line… Oh my gosh, I'thou joking. It was an accident, I swear! I was trying to let her sip from my Camelbak. The minute I took the cap off it blasted her in the face. Of course I started busting up laughing and I had to hide my confront while she sobbed into my shoulder. Such a sympathetic mother. Seeing someone get squirted in the face is funny, ok? Even if they are four.

Mexican Pinto Beans

Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans

Eric's family is Swedish, and it'southward been really fun to get into their food traditions over the years. Swedish Meatballs, Butter Pecans, Spritz cookies…so much adept stuff. My sister Laura married into a family from southern Texas, and the only reason I'chiliad non jealous is because she shares all their awesome Tejano recipes with me. (Tejano significant Mexican-American-Southern-Texan cuisine.)

Over Christmas, my whole family unit got together at my parents house for a couple weeks…all 25 of united states. On my sister Laura's night to cook, she made us this awesome dinner with this Carne Guisada, guacamole, rice…and these beans. These amazing, succulent beans. We could non stop talking almost them.

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

How to make these Southern + Mexican Pinto Beans

The recipe is from my brother-in-constabulary Adam'south grandma, who came from a long line of Tejanos, so it'south nearly as authentic every bit you can get. His whole family unit lovingly calls them "Grandma's Beans." I'm a little bit obsessed with them. The ham os gives it that rich Southern pork-and-beans feel, but and so you add the jalapeno, garlic, and lime wedges and it gives it this great Mexican twist.

They are meant to be a side dish, but if you want to slap them in a tortilla I won't judge y'all. (I personally consume them with a shovel.) Hopefully yous can tell from the photos that these beans are meant to be more moisture than dry. They're not the aforementioned consistency equally refried beans. Adam's family calls it "bean gravy."

Crock Pot Pinto Beans

These beans are like shooting fish in a barrel to brand, and in that location is very minimal chopping, merely they do take a while. In that location'south but no getting around the fact that beans accept a while to melt, and using canned beans as a substitute only doesn't requite the same flavor. They are already cooked, and and then there is no way for them to soak upward the other flavors in the pot. I've provided 3 cooking methods below: stovetop, crock pot, and quick crock pot.

Sliced jalapeño and chopped onions

To add together the heat, yous don't need to chop the jalapeño, just slit it on both sides similar this and toss it in whole. Don't fuss about dicing the onion, just piece it a few times. It will cook down.

Pair these with the  Carne Guisada recipe I mentioned–best burritos of my life! (Special thanks to Laura for putting upward with my ceaseless texting the solar day I made this. Yous rock. Way to share the Tejano wealth.)

More than neat south of the border style recipes yous will beloved:

  • Here's the Carne Guisada (Braised Beef for Tacos) recipe, it goes perfect with these beans!
  • Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Mexican Coleslaw << Really to die for tacos
  • Corn Salsa with Lime << This is such a refreshing salsa
  • How to Make Authentic Pico de Gallo << A must have for a Mexican meal
  • Mexican Street Corn Dip << Pass the tortilla chips, you can't stop with this dip!
  • Cream Cheese Craven Chili

Beans, Beans, and more Beans!

  • Carmine Beans and Rice (Better than Popeye's) << Information technology's true – these are the nifty Southern beans y'all need!
  • Santa Maria Pinquito Beans << The California regional beans meant to go with Tri-Tip!
  • Bacon Baked Beans << Everything's better with bacon
  • Cowboy Pinto Bean Soup (Frijoles Charros) << Another smashing family recipe, this time from my mother in law
  • Drunken Beans from Gimme Some Oven
  • Dull Cooker Charro Beans from Five Heart Home
  • Crock  Pot Cowboy Beans from The Two Bite Social club

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Traditional Tejano Beans

Servings: 10 Servings

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Total Time: iii hrs 15 mins

These Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans are the perfect alloy of Southern and Mexican pinto beans styles. Tenderly slow cooked with a ham hock and jalapeños, the lime adds a petty twist. Perfect for a burrito, these beans will make you lot feel like you are in Texas, and really, what more could you ask for?

  • iv cups dry pinto beans
  • 12 cups water, 12 cups for stovetop version; encounter crock pot instructions for water amounts
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (or ane tablespoon garlic pulverisation)
  • one medium onion, very roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon saccharide
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, good quality
  • i jalapenos, left whole, but with a slit cut on two sides
  • 1 ham os, or ham hock*
  • Table salt and pepper, to sense of taste
  • lime wedges, fresh, to garnish

Stovetop Instructions:

  • Rinse the dry beans in a colander. Put them in a large stock pot and add together 12 cups water.

  • Bring to a eddy, and so turn down the heat to a medium-depression simmer.

  • Add the garlic, onion, saccharide, chicken bouillon, jalapeno/s, and ham bone. Bring to a boil again and and so reduce the heat to medium low.

  • Simmer on medium low with the lid on but vented. (Tilted and then that it'southward non sealed) Stir occasionally.

  • Cook for 2-iii hours. After about an hr and a half, add salt so that information technology can absorb into the beans every bit they terminate cooking. I added somewhere between 2-3 teaspoons, only taste as you get. The beans will keep to absorb the common salt equally they finish cooking, so exist cautious.

  • Continue cooking until the beans are tender. Gustation them ; if the beans are still hard or chalky, keep simmering. Don't wait until the liquid has cooked off and then much that they look like refried beans--you want plenty of bean gravy.

  • Remove the ham os and discard (if there is any meat on it, chop it and add together it to the pot).

  • Add salt and pepper to gustatory modality. Garnish with fresh limes.

Slow cooker instructions:

  • Rinse the dry beans in a colander.* Add together to a crock pot, then fill the pot with water until information technology reaches two inches above the beans. Add all the other ingredients except the salt.

  • Melt on low for 6-8 hours. Start checking at 6 hours and sense of taste. Add together the table salt for the final hour of cooking.

  • Remove the ham bone and discard (if at that place is any meat on it, chop it and add it to the pot).

  • Garnish with limes.

Quick Slow Cooker Instructions:

  • Fill your crock pot virtually 1/3 of the mode with water. Turn the crock pot to high and put on the lid. Set bated.

  • Put the rinsed beans in a large stock pot and add water 1 and one/2 inches above the beans.

  • Bring to a eddy, then turn downwardly the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes.

  • Cascade the beans into a colander and strain well.

  • Add together the beans to the crock pot with the heated water. Add the rest of the ingredients, excluding the table salt. When all the ingredients are added, check the h2o level. The water should be about 1 and 1/ii inches above the beans. Add or remove water accordingly.

  • Cook on high for 4-5 hours, adding the salt for the final hour or so.

  • Remove the ham bone and discard (if there is any meat on it, chop it and add together it to the pot).

  • Season with pepper to sense of taste, garnish with limes.

If you are in a pinch you can employ 6-8 slices of salary (non chopped) instead of the ham bone/hock. Discard when the beans are done.

This makes a HUGE pot of beans, so 1 jalapeno does not make them very spicy, even left whole with the ribs and seeds. It just lends swell season with enough spice to keep it interesting. 2 would definitely make it spicy.

*If you have had abdominal problems in the past from beans, then I recommend soaking them overnight (and discarding the soak water), OR boiling them and simmering for 30 minutes equally described in the "Quick" slow cooker method.

Serving: 1 bowl , Calories: 278 kcal , Carbohydrates: 51 thousand , Poly peptide: 17 chiliad , Fat: 1 g , Saturated Fatty: ane one thousand , Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 yard , Monounsaturated Fat: ane 1000 , Sodium: 26 mg , Potassium: 1097 mg , Cobweb: 12 yard , Sugar: iii g , Vitamin A: xv IU , Vitamin C: viii mg , Calcium: 100 mg , Iron: 4 mg

Grade: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beans, Tejano

Calories: 278 kcal