Southern Pinto Beans

There are few things more comforting than a big pot of Southern Pinto Beans. Savory, and full of flavor, pinto beans always hit the spot. Whether you are making them for a potluck or to accompany fried fish, these pinto beans are always a hit. Be sure to serve them with a slice of buttered cornbread.

Pinto Beans! The very first dish I ever made 100% from scratch by myself at the age of 12 or 13. Man, those pinto beans were so good. I will never forget my dad coming home from work to find that I had made a pot of beans, and they turned out really good. Growing up we ate many bowls of pinto beans. Never from a can.

Pinto Beans are such a great southern staple that goes with just about everything from brisket to fried chicken. It's no wonder they were my first dish to try making by myself. The best part is that they are so easy to make and only require a few ingredients. Pinto Beans are on my Pantry Essentials list, if you haven't already checked out that post, you can find the link here. Pantry Essentials

Pinto beans are a very versatile dish. They are great served alongside many different meats like Roasted Chicken or Honey Glazed Ham. They are even great in soups and can be turned into refried beans, which is my favorite way to use leftover pinto beans. Even pinto beans made with a smoked ham bone make great refried beans. I like to make a big pot of pinto beans to have with dinner one night of the week and use the leftovers to make refried beans later in the week. This is great for saving time in the kitchen.

I really don't find it necessary to soak the beans. I much prefer the texture and flavor of beans that are not soaked before cooking. I find that they tend to fall apart more when soaked before cooking. I also like the "pot liquor" that is produced when beans are cooked low and slow versus being soaked first.

With that being said, if you prefer to soak your beans, that's fine. This recipe will work either way. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly. Soaked beans tend to cook faster since they have been rehydrated.

The best flavor comes from adding other ingredients to your beans while they are cooking. Typically, I use bacon and onions to flavor beans. But when I have a ham bone or ham hock, I always add them to my pot of beans. I can't always find ham hocks in my area, so I very rarely use them. I love saving ham bones from the holidays for making beans. The best ham bone to use is one that has been smoked. A smoked ham bone adds tremendous flavor to a pot of beans. This New Year I saved a ham bone from a ham my dad smoked with apple wood. It made the BEST pot of beans. When I don't have the ham hock or ham bones, I always use bacon and onions. In this recipe I am sharing today, I used a ham bone.

I believe a great pot of beans need salt, pepper and a little chipotle powder. Cayenne is a great alternative to chipotle powder. Pinto Beans themselves have great flavor and when cooked low and slow develop even better flavor.

Variations

• Add jalapeño to make the beans a little spicy. Jalapeños also add great flavor to beans. Simply pierce the jalapeño and place it in the pot at the beginning of cooking.
• Add meat like smoked sausage, hot links or ham slices to your pot of beans. I typically add these in the last 45 minutes of cooking.
• Use your favorite Cajun seasoning to flavor your beans.

Store pinto beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Store pinto beans in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 5 months. When freezing in freezer bags, lay the bags flat to save space.