Easy Borracho Beans
This is a great one pot meal that can be prepared quickly or slow cooked all day in the slow cooker. It's easy to make, low fat, full of protein and fiber, and budget friendly. Add a bottle of beer and a basic pot of pinto beans transforms into Borracho Beans or 'Drunken Beans', and they take on a savory, saucy flavor from the beer. This dish is traditional South Texas fare, and many restaurants in the Austin and San Antonio area have their own versions of this recipe.
We recommend a dark Mexican beer, but if you can't find a dark Mexican beer choose a rich and robust stout or porter. Mexican dark beers tend to be malty, relying on the toasted grains they used to brew the beer to act as the flavor base. If you're choosing a different kind of beer, like a stout, try to select one that doesn't have stand-out flavors, like coffee or peanut butter.
Leave out the bacon to make this dish plant-based. Pasilla de Oaxaca chiles will deliver a smoky, meaty flavor that makes up for the lack of bacon. Garnish with some cilantro or parsley, some fresh jalapenos, and diced red onion or scallions for a little bit of crunch!
- 4 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ¼ cup fresh jalapenos, diced small, plus more for garnish
- 1 Pasilla de Oaxaca Chile, rehydrated and diced small
- 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, or 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
- 4 cups pinto beans, cooked and still in juice or 3 14oz cans pinto beans
- 3 Tablespoons Adobo Seasoning
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1 - 12 ounce bottle dark Mexican beer
- Kosher Salt to taste
- In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy.
- Add onion and jalapenos and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the Pasilla de Oaxaca Chile and tomatoes and cook for 7 more minutes.
- Add beans, Adobo Seasoning, and cilantro and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add beer and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Taste test and add Kosher Salt to your preference.
- Garnish with cilantro, jalapeno, and red onion and serve!
