Have you made these Charro Beans yet?! You can easily smoosh them into refried beans that are out of this world 🙂
Charro Beans! You'll be hard pressed to find an authentic batch of Charro Beans anywhere north of the border, so it's high time to make your own!
Charro roughly translates as cowboy, so these beans have always been associated with ranch lifestyle in Mexico. Luckily for us, you can make a hearty, delicious batch of these frijoles in your home kitchen in less than a half hour, no ranch required.
Charro Beans Recipe
If you're planning on subsisting solely on charro beans while sleeping outdoors and tending to the ranch, then your frijoles are going to need some substance to them.
Traditional batches of charro beans will toss in any meat within arm's reach of the cook . Our version uses only bacon and this will create a batch that everyone will enjoy. But of course, you are welcome to add in some chorizo or ham if you have some available.
Start by roasting four tomatoes in the oven at 400F.
This isn't crucial for this recipe as there is an extended simmer time coming up that should thoroughly cook the tomatoes, but roasting them has become such a habit that I usually just toss 'em in the oven until they are needed.
Finely chop up 1/2 lb. of bacon (7-8 pieces) and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook for 5-8 minutes or until it is lightly browned. (Tip: although not required, it can be easier to chop up the bacon into small pieces if you first put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.)
Yes, you can drain some of the bacon fat if you want, but the cowboys prefer that you leave it in.
Add a chopped 1/2 onion to the bacon. I usually lower the heat to mediumish after the bacon is cooked.
Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is tender.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic to the mixture.
The garlic only needs 30-60 seconds to cook; anything longer than that and you risk burning it.
Add the roasted tomatoes to the pan.
I usually just roughly chop them in the pan. If they've been roasting for awhile they will fall apart on their own.
We'll also add:
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups stock (or water)
3 chipotles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Mexican oregano (optional)
The Mexican oregano is optional so don't sweat it if you don't have any. And note that this recipe uses canned beans. Yes, maybe you'll get a slight increase in flavor with home-cooked beans, but it will taste just as good with canned beans and I know that most people simply do not have time to cook their own beans.
Also...I used chicken stock in this batch to please the cowboys, but I've made this exact recipe using water in place of stock and it is still delicious (bacon fat!).
And note that using 3 chipotles gives it some real heat! For a milder version use 1-2 chipotles.
Let this mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes or until some of the liquid has reduced a bit.
The broth is beyond delicious so I think these beans are best served when swimming in it. The above pic is how they looked after 15 minutes of simmering and that amount of broth was a good fit for this batch.
Definitely take a taste for seasoning at this point as exact salt amount will depend on how much meat you added to the mixture. I added another generous pinch to this batch so that is approximately one teaspoon total. If your version isn't fiery enough you can always amp it up at this point too.
Serve immediately and be sure to include lots of broth!
Chow time!
While traditionally served as a side dish, these charro beans are nearly hearty enough to be a meal on their own and I make on-the-fly meals with them all the time. I usually reserve half of the batch to make a bean puree for some bean-n-cheese tostadas.
Add the charro beans and some broth to a blender or food processor and give it a whirl.
This creates one of the most heavenly bean purees that you'll ever taste. For realz.
You can use this puree as you would any other refried beans. I usually add a layer to a corn tortilla along with some cheese and crisp it up in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few drops of Valentina and you've got insta-meals for the next few days.
Or you can make these Charro Bean Tostadas.
Either way, your cowboys are going to be very happy when you serve up a batch of these Charro Beans. They're a real treat and if you keep a few cans of pinto beans in the pantry you'll always have the option of whipping up a batch.
Let me know if you have any questions about these beauties. They are surprisingly easy to make and you get great reward for such little effort.
Buen Provecho.
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Charro Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed, approx. 4 cups)
- 1/2 lb. bacon (approx. 7-8 slices)
- 4-5 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 3 chipotles in adobo
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups stock (or water)
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Give the tomatoes a good rinse and roast them in the oven at 400F for approximately 20 minutes or until you need them.
- Chop up the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned (approx. 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the bacon pieces).
- Chop up a 1/2 onion and add it the bacon. I usually reduce heat to mediumish after the bacon is cooked. Let the onion cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
- Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook briefly, 30-60 seconds.
- Add the roasted tomatoes to the pan (roughly chopping them up in the pan is fine). Also add: 2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed), 3 minced chipotles in adobo, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 cups of stock (or water). Combine well and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced down a bit.
- Salt to taste. I added another generous pinch to this batch (so that is approx. 1 teaspoon total) but keep in mind that if you are using store-bought stock that's high in sodium then you won't need to add as much salt. You can also add more heat at this point if you want a more fiery batch.
- Serve immediately. Note that these beans are best served in some of the broth.
- Alternatively, you can use part of the batch to make a bean puree. Simply add them to a blender or food processor and combine into a puree.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
We recently made a batch of Molletes using these Charro Beans.
Our latest recipe is for a batch of Homemade Enchilada Sauce.
Still hungry?!
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Sandra Brooks
I discovered your blog while looking for a recipe for frijoles charros. I made your recipe and these are the best cowboy beans I have had, even in authentic Mexican restaurants. Can't wait to try more of your recipes. They were the perfect accompaniment to my carnitas!!!
Sandra
Patrick
Ahh great to know, thanks much for your note Sandra!
Jamie
It's a hit every time I make it! I can't use all of the chipotles in adobo. (Just a little too spicy for me.) But this is a fantastic recipe. I look forward to trying your others. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Patrick
Thanks Jamie, so glad it's a hit 🙂 Cheers.
CSami
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made it for a group of diverse picky eaters who loved them! I didn't love beans till now. TexasNative
Patrick
Hey good to know, so glad they were a hit!
Bob
Amazing! We didn't need any additional salt. Roasting the tomatoes was so simple it makes me wonder if I'll ever buy canned again.
Patrick
Ha I'm the same way Bob, glad you enjoyed this recipe! Cheers.
Diane Murray
Wow, Patrick, thanks for another super duper recipe. This dish is easy to make and loaded with flavor. From reading other comments I can tell the recipe is very forgiving and adaptable to what-have-you. With no homemade beans in my freezer I opted for canned beans and the dish still turned out fabulous. Beans will never be the same ho-hum-yawn. Having pureed and frozen most of the first batch to go with some of your other recipes, I'm now going to cook some pinto beans and make another couple batches of Charro to freeze. Home run!!
Patrick
Thanks much for your note Diane! Yup "forgiving" describes the recipe well as there is so much leeway when beans and bacon are involved 🙂
Paul
Has any tried this recipe with sofrito. If so, did you end up changing anything else with the recipe as a result?
L. Carol
I had these for the first time while on vacation and loved the flavor! I would have licked the bowl and asked for seconds if we had not been in a restaurant. Once back home I wanted to duplicate the dish and tried your recipe first. I will not need to try any others cause it is sooo good! Of course I changed it a little to use what I had on hand (fresh tomatoes out of garden but not plum variety) and to adjust it to “no heat” I used green chilies instead of chipotles. The taste was perfect for my palette and there was ample broth which was a priority for me. I’m glad I discovered your recipes and will be making more of them!
Patrick
Ahh good to know L., thanks much for your note. Yup I'm the same, I love having the extra broth in there. Cheers.
NATASHA CARTWRIGHT
Really enjoyed these, I used dry beans and cooked them In a Dutch oven in the stove
John
After making this recipe a couple times now, I decided it was time to take these to work and try the recipe out on the bunch of dudes I work with, and they all loved these beans. A couple of them said these were the best beans they've ever had, and I have to agree with them. This is one of those recipes that truly is safe to add to a recipe collection. It's definitely going in mine. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Patrick
Ahh approval from dudes definitely a good sign! Thanks much for the feedback John.
Joe Kenady
I"ve been making a similar recipe for years but had not thought about the oregano and tomatoes. Wow! Great dish and glad to get the new ideas about how to make them even more delicious.
Patrick
Thanks Joe!