Quick Batch of Peruano Pot Beans

The Peruano beans after cooking for 90 minutes

4.72 from 7 votes

Quick Batch of Peruano Pot Beans

Peruano beans have been one of my favorite kitchen discoveries -- you can use them anytime Black or Pinto are called for, and you might even get to a point where you prefer them over other varieties🙂

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Servings:

Calories: 64kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

2 cups dried Peruano beans (Canary, Mayocoba)
1 onion
2-3 tablespoons lard (or bacon drippings)
2-3 quarts cold water
1-2 teaspoons salt (plus more to taste)
pinch of Mexican oregano (optional)

Instructions

I usually start by rifling through the dried beans, keeping an eye out for any stones or strugglers and discarding them. Rinse the beans and drain.
Add the rinsed beans to a pot along with 2-3 quarts of cold water. You'll typically want the water level to be 2" above the dried beans, so feel free to eyeball it. Add the roughly chopped onion and 2-3 tablespoons of lard (or bacon drippings).
Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let 'em cook! I usually start taking bites around the 90 minute mark. If they are hard and grainy then give them a bit longer. Note: starting with the water level 2" above the dried beans will usually ensure the beans stay submerged throughout the cook, but if the water level gets low and the beans are exposed feel free to add a bit more.
Once the beans are soft and mushy you can add the salt. I usually add a heaping teaspoon at this point along with a generous pinch of Mexican oregano (optional). Let them cook for another 15 minutes and then take a final taste for seasoning. I added more salt at this point, so that is about 2.5 teaspoons total.
Note: the salt level is negotiable! If you want them to be edible out of the pot you'll probably need somewhere between 2-3 teaspoons total. But it also depends on how you'll be using them -- for example when I use the beans for soup I don't salt them as much during the cook as this will leave some leeway down the road.
You'll end up with 6 cups of cooked beans and some leftover broth. Sometimes I will portion them into individual baggies containing a single cups of beans and broth, but for this batch I used two quart-sized jars. Each jar got 3 cups of cooked beans and a single cup of broth.
You can store the cooked beans in the fridge where they will keep for a few days, or you can store them in the freezer where they will keep for significantly longer.

Nutrition