This is a delicious pinto beans side dish with smoky Mexican flavors. Make this frijoles recipe for a change from bbq baked beans! Recipe adapted from MEXICO - The Cookbook.
Feel free to substitute 48 oz or 6 cups cooked, canned pinto beans or cook your own.
Cook Beans
Pick through and discard any debris from dried beans. Rinse the beans under cool water. Transfer the beans to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with 8 cups of water.
Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and cook another 30 minutes, uncovered. Drain the cooked beans, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.
Simmer
While beans are cooking place the boneless pork, half of onion and smashed garlic in a small saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover. Simmer 1 1/2 hours (adding more water if needed to keep covered), discard onion and garlic and finely dice the cooked pork. Set aside.
Saute
Over medium heat in a skillet cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer cooked bacon pieces to a paper towel to drain and leave bacon fat in skillet.
Cut and remove stem and seeds from chiles. Either dice or cut into long thin strips, set aside. Saute the diced onion for several minutes in the bacon fat then add the garlic and cut chiles, cook for another minute.
Add the chorizo and stir until chorizo is cooked. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring to pick up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add half of the cooked bacon, simmered pork and beans, stirring to mix and simmer another 15 minutes, covered.
Before serving stir in cilantro and spoon into bowls. Top with remaining cooked bacon and chile slices (optional).
Notes
I find it optional to soak the pinto beans 8 hours. Using a bean recipe from Diana Kennedy, I realized it was optional to soak 1 pound dried pinto beans 8 hours (overnight) or cooking dried beans directly. It made no difference texture wise. Beans were cooked and in a side by side taste test, no one could tell me which were soaked!
You'll want to use either pork tenderloin, pork loin or pork chop and cube the meat.