# Hock It To Me & Yes Pintos Again



## BGKYSmoker (May 4, 2021)

I grew up eating pintos every week. So pinto beans for me is a life long food.
When i met my wife (her being Amish) lol It took a year for her to come around to pintos. She got americanized and wanted ground beef added after the beans were done.
Cheese and sour cream.....WHAAAAAAT.....Yeah for wussies.

Have to do a large chop on the onions so she can pick em out.








My mom normally used hocks but in a pinch she would use bacon.
Season good. I have to use filtered or distilled water as the water here is pretty hard and that can take the beans to long to cook.






Around 2-3 hours with lid tilted off.







My wife finally got the ok from all 4 of her docs for the knee surgery, so it looks like we will be here another year before we go back to house living.
She also has to do a lymph node transplant this year because of the removale when she had breast cancer.

YAY
Just got the call. knee surgery for her on the 18th.

Gotta do what we gotta do.


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## zwiller (May 4, 2021)

Looks tasty!  My wife and I like "pintos" or refried beans but we were recently in Texas and experienced them a whole way.  OMG so delicious.  I think they are called cowboy beans or frijoles a la charra.  Still researching and most are bacon but admit I prefer ham hock.  Do you pull it and eat or flavor only?  

Best of luck on the procedure!  I could get used to that for another year...  Congrats on opening up too.


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## thirdeye (May 4, 2021)

It looks like you have everything well in hand.  We eat a fair share of pinto beans and Great Northerns, each with smoked hocks or leftover ham.  Either can be made somewhat mild.  Here is a GN recipe to check out. I've even added potatoes to this one. 









						SIDE DISH - Senate Bean Soup
					

Here is another Great Northern Bean recipe. It is very basic, so anything you feel like adding will most likely work out just fine. Using...




					playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com


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## thirdeye (May 4, 2021)

zwiller said:


> Looks tasty!  My wife and I like "pintos" or refried beans but we were recently in Texas and experienced them a whole way.  OMG so delicious.  I think they are called cowboy beans or frijoles a la charra.  Still researching and most are bacon but admit I prefer ham hock.  Do you pull it and eat or flavor only?
> 
> Best of luck on the procedure!  I could get used to that for another year...  Congrats on opening up too.


I was raised in the Tex-Mex belt of south Texas, and there are more bean dishes than Carter has pills.  Here is one variety I make.  We also make Borracho Beans which mean 'drunken beans' as they have beer and cooked with whole jalapenos. 









						SIDE DISH - Pinto Beans
					

These beans were inspired by my friend Tom, who is quite the hand at cooking both inside and outside.    3 cups washed Pinto beans 3 or 4 ...




					playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com


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## BGKYSmoker (May 4, 2021)

My mom was mexican, born in Brownsville Tx then moved to Lubbock.
(i say was, she passed 2 years ago)

I had to make the pintos less hot for my wife.


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## Wurstmeister (May 4, 2021)

Great looking meal. Love hocks and beans along with a skillet jalapeño corn bread. Our prayers are with ya'll for safe and successful procedures. 

John


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## sandyut (May 4, 2021)

Pintos look great...again!  Sorry to hear about the needed procedures, but sounds like it needed and will be better in the long run.  Looks like you are doing ok there, but I am sure a house would be nice - hopefully soon!  Best wish on the procedure, recover, and maybe a house.


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## BGKYSmoker (May 4, 2021)

Thanks y'all

Yeah soon we hope. I really miss a garage.......no Farmer not moving back up to PA....LOL
Later for dinner and some flour tortillas.


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## tallbm (May 4, 2021)

SWFLsmkr1 said:


> I grew up eating pintos every week. So pinto beans for me is a life long food.
> When i met my wife (her being Amish) lol It took a year for her to come around to pintos. She got americanized and wanted ground beef added after the beans were done.
> Cheese and sour cream.....WHAAAAAAT.....Yeah for wussies.
> 
> ...



Mmmmm pinto beans!!! They looked amazing in your last post!
I wish the wife the best of luck with her health and procedures.



zwiller said:


> Looks tasty!  My wife and I like "pintos" or refried beans but we were recently in Texas and experienced them a whole way.  OMG so delicious.  I think they are called cowboy beans or frijoles a la charra.  Still researching and most are bacon but admit I prefer ham hock.  Do you pull it and eat or flavor only?
> 
> Best of luck on the procedure!  I could get used to that for another year...  Congrats on opening up too.



Oh man it is awesome to see someone experiencing some pinto beans in different ways to them.  Especially since I've had em every which way being born and raised in TX haha.

Yeah charro/cowboy beans (a la charra) are fantastic!!! Any kind of cured pork fit's the bill. They are pretty easy to make. They are just pinto beans with something like pico de gallo thrown in (must have onion and garlic) but without the lime. Also you add ground cumin and you can add a little oregano if you like. Done!!!

As 

 thirdeye
 mentioned, Borracho beans are freaking amazing too and maybe my favorite! Basically make charro beans and at the end (last 15 minutes) pour in a beer and cook it in a little..... soooooo freakin good. If you add the beer too early it's flavor gets obliterated by the heat of cooking so you don't add it in too early.

Finally, you like refried beans. Well refried beans are just pinto beans that get mashed and fried up in a pan with some lard, crisco, or vegetable oil. The way refried beans came about was that you make a giant pot of pinto beans because they take so long. Well you can't always eat them all before they go bad so you just refry them and bam, a whole new bean product with a new life cycle hahaha.

You haven't lived until you have eaten refried charro beans or borracho beans!!! :)


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## tropics (May 4, 2021)

Rick Hoping the surgery goes smooth and she heals quickly. Use Baking Soda in the water it will tenderize the beans in half the time. I bet my Doc would not Like to know what I'm thinking  LOL Hocks
Richie


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## zwiller (May 4, 2021)

tallbm said:


> They are just pinto beans with something like pico de gallo thrown in (must have onion and garlic) but without the lime. Also you add ground cumin and you can add a little oregano if you like. Done!!!
> 
> You haven't lived until you have eaten refried charro beans or borracho beans!!! :)


That is pretty much a spot on description of what I thought.  We had a layover at IAH and hit Pappasitos.  My wife and I were eating away (steak fajitas) and we both take a bite of beans and look at each other...  I now understand why some people go nuts for beans.  They really are that good.   Took the whole plate up a few notches and the fajitas were stellar to being with.  

Cinco de Mayo cannot come soon enough!


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## Hamdrew (May 4, 2021)

I am a very big fan of all things beans. After eating them daily for a few years post-highschool, I think that says something about their versatility (and nutrition/cost ratio!). 

Like many other things, freshness of the seasonings makes a huge difference. Freshly toasted and ground cumin, bay leaves,  and Mexican oregano; a Negra Modelo over a Bud Lite etc.

..That said, the above pictured beans were all free dusty old cans, a cheap brand hot dogs, and onions from a food surplus giveaway a public school does weekly. Still delicious! I do owe some of that to having heated it all up on the smoker, but still.


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## SmokinAl (May 5, 2021)

That’s my kind of meal Rick!
We are thinking of moving from Sebring, & the park you are in looks real nice. Do they have modular homes in there? Or just park models? Do you have a site I could visit to see what your place is like?
Al


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## tallbm (May 5, 2021)

zwiller said:


> That is pretty much a spot on description of what I thought.  We had a layover at IAH and hit Pappasitos.  My wife and I were eating away (steak fajitas) and we both take a bite of beans and look at each other...  I now understand why some people go nuts for beans.  They really are that good.   Took the whole plate up a few notches and the fajitas were stellar to being with.
> 
> Cinco de Mayo cannot come soon enough!


Pappasitos brings it!

If you would like your mind blown more. Take those charro beans, toss in a healthy bit of salsa, and mix in rice to make this amazing mix of all 3.
Scoop that into a tortilla, add cheese, sour cream, and squeeze a little lime in it and take a bite.

Be ready to taste heaven :D

Finally, beans out of the can are super easy to doctor up and honestly don't taste much different than homemade if you just cook em a little bit.  Feel free to buy some cans and play around making charro beans.  Whole pinto beans out of the can are cooked very bland but they take on the flavors you want well when you cook them for 30 min or so.  Hell even much less time if in a pinch but a little more time the better :)


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## zwiller (May 17, 2021)

tallbm said:


> Yeah charro/cowboy beans (a la charra) are fantastic!!! Any kind of cured pork fit's the bill. They are pretty easy to make. They are just pinto beans with something like pico de gallo thrown in (must have onion and garlic) but without the lime. Also you add ground cumin and you can add a little oregano if you like. Done!!!


We're hooked!!!  Made my first run last night and did what you said, cured pork (bacon), canned pintos, and pico.  I had my doubts but these were EXTREMELY close to those we had!  THANKS  Need to dial the salt in as it got over salty after reducing for an hour or so.  I didn't add much salt either.  For a while they tasted PERFECT but were a little soupy.  What is the consistency supposed to be?  Ones we had were fairly dry but saw plenty online recipes that were swimming...  TOTALLY gonna try the other things mentioned.  Seriously, first time the beans were the star of the show and not just supporting cast.


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## BGKYSmoker (May 17, 2021)

SmokinAl said:


> That’s my kind of meal Rick!
> We are thinking of moving from Sebring, & the park you are in looks real nice. Do they have modular homes in there? Or just park models? Do you have a site I could visit to see what your place is like?
> Al


Al

they have park models here, there are about 9 for sale right now, some have the florida room. There are no actual double wide mobile homes in this park. Parks and RVs Motor homes and 5th wheels, only a couple long 35-40' pullers.

you might want to call the office to ask how they are doing things now after this covid crap, i know they did want an appointment.


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## tallbm (May 17, 2021)

zwiller said:


> We're hooked!!!  Made my first run last night and did what you said, cured pork (bacon), canned pintos, and pico.  I had my doubts but these were EXTREMELY close to those we had!  THANKS  Need to dial the salt in as it got over salty after reducing for an hour or so.  I didn't add much salt either.  For a while they tasted PERFECT but were a little soupy.  What is the consistency supposed to be?  Ones we had were fairly dry but saw plenty online recipes that were swimming...  TOTALLY gonna try the other things mentioned.  Seriously, first time the beans were the star of the show and not just supporting cast.



Nice to hear!!!!  Yeah you can turn canned pinto's into what tastes like the made from scratch version, nice thing about beans.  Yeah a good tip is once you get your consistency then add in your salt.  If you think you "may need a little more" salt then that is usually the point to stop and NOT add more salt as it will still likely reduce down or salt will even out more on it's own :)

For consistency it's a preference for you but generally less on the soupy side and more on the reduced down thicker side. Think like 1-2 steps away from chili consistency.

I personally like when they get to a chili consistency but if you are trying to replicate what you had then you want to try and not get that thick.

Do not hesitate to refry them if they've been sitting in the fridge a while.  You will LOVE the refried bean version too :)


Enjoy round 2 with your new bean concoction :D


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## zwiller (May 17, 2021)

Yep, chili consistency for me and that I was aiming for.  I'll drain next time and no salt until done, yeah rookie move on my part.  

Mind if I asking about that concoction in post #14?   What salsa and rice we talking?  Pace jar salsa and regular white rice or?  I kid you not, this sort of thing is EXACTLY like something my wife would make.  Last question, dry fry tortillas or?


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## tallbm (May 17, 2021)

zwiller said:


> Yep, chili consistency for me and that I was aiming for.  I'll drain next time and no salt until done, yeah rookie move on my part.
> 
> Mind if I asking about that concoction in post #14?   What salsa and rice we talking?  Pace jar salsa and regular white rice or?  I kid you not, this sort of thing is EXACTLY like something my wife would make.  Last question, dry fry tortillas or?



Most Tex-Mex restaurants like Papasitos searves beans and  Spanish/Mexican rice as sides.   Also salsa is usually there for the food and to dip chips into for chips and salsa.

So the concoction I mention is simply all the sides mixed up together, thrown into a tortia, topped with taco items (cheese, sour cream, etc.) and then eaten as a taco.  

Please please please please do not use Pace, it hurts my soul hahahaha.
Here is a simple salsa recipe you can make in like 5 minutes.

*Simple Homemade Salsa*

-1 big can of Hunt's Whole Peeled Tomato (or other brand but Hunt's brand is goood), 28oz can
- 3 Jalapenos (med to extra large) - remove seeds and veins if you want to eliminate the heat.  I recommend you seed and de-vein 2.5 of the jalapenos and then only use .5 of a jalapeno as is.
- 1/4 of a small-medium Onion - I like yellow onions but any will work
1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
1/3 bundle of fresh Cilantro
1 fresh Lime for squeezing juice into salsa
Salt and Pepper to taste
Throw everything EXCEPT the Lime into a blender.  
Squeeze half a Lime's worth of juice into the blender.
Blend a few seconds so it is coarse. Taste with a tortilla chip.
Add more salt and pepper and lime juice if needed and blend again. Taste and repeat until you have a good salsa.

Spanish/Mexican Rice.... that is a whole other animal.  It won't hold a candle to homemade but you can buy this at the store.  Knorr brand usually DESTROYS every other brand in whatever they are doing but may not be available to you so Uncle Ben's is probably a more likely option:









Cilantro Lime rice will also work.

If dry fry of the tortillas is the following then absolutely do so!

Tortillas - almost all non fresh made tortillas are subpar in the world of tortilla taste hahaha, so buy any store brand you like. 
THE KEY is to warm them up in a skillet that is on the stove, NO OIL.
Get the skillet hot on like med-high heat. 
Toss your store bought (Mission brand?) tortilla into the skillet and let it warm up. 
You want the tortilla to START to get crispy on both sides and pull it. Then on to the next tortilla.
This will fully cook your store bought tortilla and eliminate most/all of the bad or Styrofoam flavors the store bought tortillas naturally have. 

Now that you have your beans, a good simple salsa, some store bought Spanish/Mexican Rice, and drastically improved tortillas you can do what I mentioned in post #14 lol.

You take all these sides and put on your plate. Mix beans and rice together with salsa and scoop into a tortilla. Add taco toppings and squeeze a little lime juice and BAM you have an amazing Taco made from the SIDES that could easily be the star of the show!!!

Not that it is rocket science but this to me is the real magic of tacos. Yeah they are amazing when you buy them made BUT if you grill some fajitas and make all the sides it's like a buffet of different tacos you can make right there at your table from everything you cooked :D

I hope this info makes sense and helps 

 zwiller
  :)


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