This is a recipe for Cowboy Beans. Pinto Beans simply cooked in the crock pot with bacon. Cowboy Beans are creamy, healthy and a delicious side dish.
Here’s another side dish from my Pre-Christmas Mexican feast with friends. These beans were a nice compliment to the main course, Slow Roasted Achiote Pork Tacos.
Have you ever taken a bite of a straight forward simple ingredient dish and asked yourself, “why is this so darn good?” We did just that with this Colorado Cowboy Bean recipe. Here’s my opinion on why it turned out to be “so darn good”.
1. I used pinto beans from this year’s Colorado Fall harvest. I purchased them in October at the Palombo Farms Market in Brighton. I’ve read that some of the dried sacks of beans we purchase off the shelf can be 2-3 years old. My farmer’s market purchase was creamy in texture and outstanding with a flavor that I’d never experienced.
2. A spoonful of lard added to the slow cooker…nuff said. Lard you ask? take a look at my post about why you should cook with lard
3. Used good quality thick-cut bacon.
4. Slow cooked them in the crock pot for six hours.
Rick Bayless tells us that in Mexico, Cowboy beans are not soaked overnight as doing so bleeds the color from the bean.
So, taking two cups of dried fresh Colorado pinto beans, I sorted through them for any misfits and rinsed them in a colander. From there, they went straight into the slow cooker.
I added a big scoop of lard, some Southwestern ingredients, put the cover on and let them cream themselves into a heavenly goodness on high for four hours.
All in all they cooked for about six hours, however, the beans were tender in the first four hours on high. The freshness of the bean will dictate the cooking time. The fresher, the less time to reach a tender state. These beans can be made with or without tomatoes. They’re delicious either way.
Recipe for Crock Pot Cowboy Beans
I hope you give this this Crock Pot Cowboy Beans recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite recipe using pinto beans, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
Looking for more ways to cook with beans? You won’t want to miss:
- Mexican Chorizo Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Southwestern Beans and Chicos
- Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeno
- Calico Beans
Crock Pot Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon 4 slices, thick cut, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium white onion cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers seeded if you wish and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes canned, preferably fire-roasted
- 1 pound dried pinto beans about 2 1/2 cups
- 1 Tablespoon lard heaping (optional)
- Salt
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a removeable insert of a 6-quart slow cooker (or a large 10-inch skillet if your slow cooker does not have a stove-top safe insert) set over medium heat, cook the bacon several minutes, stirring regularly, until bacon starts to brown and renders its fat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeños and cook until the garlic begins to brown and is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and cook another minute.
- Fit the insert into the slow cooker (or transfer the mixture from the skillet to the slow cooker) and add the beans, the lard (if using) and 7 cups of water. Cover and turn the slow cooker to high. Your beans will be done in 3 to 4 hours, though you can hold them for longer. (My slow cooker can be programmed to switch from high after 3 ½ hours to a “keep warm” temperature for another 6 hours. Some slow cookers click to “keep warm” automatically; others need to be switched manually.)
- When ready to serve, remove 2 cups of the beans and process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the smooth beans back to pot and stir in the cilantro. Taste and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Nutrition
Colorado Crockpot Cowboy Beans …They’re What’s for a Side Dish.
Can’t get any easier than this. I love a really good pot of beans. I’ve been buying my beans from Rancho Gordo and they are outstanding. I’m glad you made the garlic knots – aren’t they great?? It took me 3 tries in making them before I was satisfied with the texture. Making the dough the night before is best for me because then I have no choice but to let it rise. Otherwise I’m too impatient!!
I should have made the dough the night before. I will do that the next time. I’ve got to learn how to make them. I know the end result is amazing. Thanks Karen. I’ll let you know how batch #2 turns out. 🙂
I’m with the other Barbara too…simple but with garlic and bacon. Anything is good if it’s cooked with garlic and bacon!
Have you ever done them in a crockpot? I wonder if they would return similar results?
Garlic and bacon and onions and bacon…yum
These beans are wonderful especially due to their simplicity.
Thanks Joumana! As always thanks for stopping by and the comment.
You are right, some of the simpliest dishes are the best. My dad liked nothing better than a big pot of pinto beans on the stove and now so does my son. I’ll have to score some of those farmers’ market beans next year. You have me convinced.
Thanks Karen. You’ve GOT to score some of those beans. You won’t believe the difference.
I could eat those for breakfast right now! The thing about making simple dishes excellent is all about quality ingredients and execution. Seems like you nailed both!
Thanks Chris. I could eat them for breakfast too, and topped with a little ChowChow…yum.
Yum! They sound fab.
Creamy goodness Liz.
I’m with Barbara.
Me too! 🙂
these beans sound amazing!
Thanks Stephanie!
Lea Ann, my husband eats beans every day for lunch. That is true! He would LOVE this side dish. Especially since it is a Chef Bayless recipe.
We should have stocked up on beans while we were at Polombos market that day. I think we were a little starry eyed over the organic Berry Patch Farm experience. 🙂
Lard? Bacon? And you wondered why it was so good??
Yum, LeaAnn!
Well you do have a point. 🙂
Being fro m Arizona & now living in Mexico I love pinto beans. My recipe is very similar I find they cook better in the crock pot. Instead of using canned tomatoes I add a can or 2 of HERDEZ salsa casera , it gives it a delicious flavor & you can buy the Herdez in U.S. markets. Try it Y will love it!!
I’ve seen that salsa! Next time I’m making beans you bet I’ll give that a try. Great idea.