Author Notes
This is a tried and true Tex-Mex recipe that I've used for many years. My version reduces the cooking time greatly by using a pressure cooker. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, use a Dutch oven or soup pot and increase the cooking time by several hours, adding water as needed. The difference between Charro beans and Borracho beans is that you add a bottle of Mexican beer to the the Charro beans. Borracho means “drunk” in Mexican! —anotherfoodieblogger
Ingredients
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2
cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
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2
cups homemade or low salt chicken broth (or sub all water)
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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1
small onion, chopped
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1
clove peeled and minced garlic
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2 to 4 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
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1
1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes (or diced tomatoes and green chiles)
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Black pepper and/or salt, to taste
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1
1 bottle or can of beer (preferably Mexican)
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Large handful of cilantro, chopped, and more for garnish
Directions
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After soaking the beans overnight and rinsing them, add them to a pressure cooker with the chicken broth and enough water to cover the beans by an inch or so.
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Cover the pot with its lid tightly with the pressure regulator on top, and heat over medium high heat until the regulator begins to rock. Turn the heat down until regulator is rocking gently, then cook for 25 minutes. (If you have an electric pressure cooker, follow manufacturer's directions for cooking dried beans.)
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Meanwhile, add the oil, garlic, and bacon to a heated skillet and saute until the onion starts to get translucent. Add the can of Ro*Tel tomatoes black pepper and/or salt to taste, cook for about five minutes longer, then set aside.
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After the beans have cooked 25 minutes, take the pot off the heat and let the pressure reduce on its own. Do not cool it by running under water, as you will have to let the pressure come down naturally or you will have a foaming mess on your hands. This will take about 15 or 20 minutes. When you can open the lid easily, stir in the tomato mixture, and beer (if using). Take a potato masher or the back of a spoon and smoosh some of the beans to help thicken up the broth. Place back over heat and simmer uncovered for about a half hour.
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Garnish with additional cilantro, if you prefer. This makes a mess of beans, but they are so yummy you’ll find they will disappear quickly. Eat them in a taco or burrito, or sop them up with tortilla chips. These taste even better the next day, too.
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