Homemade pinto beans simmered with bacon, ham, jalapeños, onion, garlic, and tomato! Ladies and gentlemen, this post is all about Frijoles charros aka Charro beans. This recipe is simple, delicious, and totally customizable to your liking. In this blog post, I won’t get into the history of Charro beans, let’s get to the good stuff….the recipe:
Ingredients
- Olive oil: Depending on your pan, you may not need oil in the beginning or at all. My pan is enamel, so I use it at the beginning to prevent the bacon from sticking.
- Cooked pinto beans: I make my own pinto beans at home, but if you prefer canned, that is fine as well.
- Broth from beans: If you are using canned beans, make sure to drain and rinse them well. Use water instead of the broth.
- Bacon: I use half of a 12 oz pack of bacon(6 oz).
- Ham: In the photos, I used half of a ham steak, which turned out to be a bit saltier, than “classic sliced ham”. Use the ham you like.
- Yellow onion: You may substitute a white onion.
- Tomatoes: Use vine-ripened tomatoes or Roma tomatoes
- Jalapeño: Seeds and veins removed. If you like it spicy, look for jalapeños with little lines that resemble wrinkles.
- Garlic clove: I use just one large garlic clove, but if you love garlic, feel free to add more.
- Cilantro: Finely minced
- Salt: I doubt you will need any, but it all depends on which beans, bacon, and ham you use.
Cooking The Beans
I make my own beans, but if you don’t have the time or simply prefer to use canned that is totally fine. I must, however, insist that you use the reduced-sodium pinto beans. Buying reduced sodium allows you to control the salt, which you want, especially because the bacon and ham are already salted enough. To make the beans at home try my frijoles de olla recipe, they’re delish!😉.
How To Make Charro Beans
Prep
Chop the onion, tomatoes, and jalapeño(remove seeds before chopping). Mince the garlic and cilantro. Set aside. Dice the bacon and ham.
Cook
Set a large pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and bacon. Cook until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. set it aside.
Add the ham to the pan and cook until browned(about 5 minutes). Remove from the pan and place on a plate. Set it aside.
Remove bacon grease from the pan and discard. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped onion and jalapeño to the pan. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato and garlic. Saute for another minute then add the beans and bean broth*.
Return the bacon and ham to the pan and stir to combine. Raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Then cover it with the lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes then uncover it and add the minced cilantro. Stir to combine. Cover it again and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
The broth should thicken up. If it does not, use the back of the spoon or a potato masher to mash the beans slightly. They will also thicken up as they cool. On the contrary, if you feel they are too thick, then add more broth. Stir and taste for salt. Add salt if necessary.
Serve as a main dish with tortillas or as a side dish. Enjoy!
A charro is a name used for a Mexican horseman, cowboy, or hacienda worker who performs tasks on horseback. The beans were named after the charros when they were forced to make meals that could feed an entire “Rancho”.
Traditionally, pork was used in different forms, such as bacon, ham, pork loin, and chorizo(seasoned pork sausage). Beef chorizo is a good substitute.
This recipe took me 2 years to perfect and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Until the next one!💕
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Snap a picture of the recipe you made and tag me @mariasblisscorner with the hashtag #mariasblisscorner. Thank you!
Charro Beans(Mexican Pork & Bean)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb cooked pinto beans or 4 (15.5 oz) cans pinto beans
- 3 cups broth from beans+ more to liking or water*
- 6 oz bacon
- 8 oz ham
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 Tbsp minced cilantro 10-12 sprigs of cilantro
- salt if necessary
Instructions
Prep
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, and jalapeño(remove seeds before chopping). Mince the garlic and cilantro. Set aside
- Dice the bacon and ham.
Cook
- Set a large pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and bacon. Cook until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a paper towel lined plate to drain. set it aside.
- Add the ham to the pan and cook until browned(about 5 minutes). Remove from the pan and place on a plate. Set it aside.
- Remove bacon grease from the pan and discard. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped onion and jalapeño to the pan. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato and garlic. Saute for another minute then add the beans and bean broth*.
- Return the bacon and ham to the pan and stir to combine. Raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Then cover it with the lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes then uncover it and add the minced cilantro. Stir to combine. Cover it again and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- The broth should thicken up. If it does not, use the back of the spoon or a potato masher to mash the beans slightly. They will also thicken up as they cool. On the contrary, if you feel they are too thick, then add more broth. Stir and taste for salt. Add salt if necessary.
- Serve as a main dish with tortillas or as a side dish. Enjoy!
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