Crock Pot Pinto Beans

In the Blue Ridge Mountains, we call these soup beans. They are cooked to death with pork, then break apart, forming a thick, creamy broth. They are delicious served with chow chow, stewed tomatoes, and cornbread.

1 lb. dried pintos, sorted and washed

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbls. minced garlic

1 Tbls. oil (I use olive oil)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

2 bay leaves

4 cups water (or enough to cover beans)

If you aren’t in a big hurry, see the tip below. When I do this, it takes all day to get the beans done. Sort the beans to remove any small rocks and rinse the beans. And no, I do not know why dried beans can get away with having rocks in the bag, but they do. Add beans to the crock pot and add all other ingredients. The amount of water can vary, but it needs to cover the beans. They will double in size as they cook. Although your crock pot instruction book says never to lift the lid, you will need to stir the beans every couple of hours to mix all your flavors in.

Tip:

Flatulence avoidance is a big thing with me. Pinto beans have a bad reputation for gas production. Below is a trick I learned years ago that enables our family to enjoy delicious pintos and not have regrets afterward.

In a large pot, cover the beans with about 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let rest for an hour. Pour off the water, rinse beans and repeat the above process with fresh water. Do this a third time, then add the beans and other ingredients to the crock pot, cover with fresh water, and cook until tender. Since the de-gassing time takes a while, I set the crock pot on High for the first couple of hours.

ENJOY!