Refried Pinto Beans

Mastering this classic Mexican staple takes a little bit of time, a lot of pork fat and a few helpful hints. 

Soak your beans the easy way. 

Dried bean purists will always object to skipping an overnight soak but the honest truth is there’s a better (and faster) way! Soaking the beans in hot water for an hour will yield an identical result to an overnight soak. In a large saucepan, add the beans and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Cover with a lid and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and leave to soak for 1 hour.  If you happen to have the time and desire for the most traditional method, soaking your beans overnight will still yield tasty results. Cover the pinto beans with water by at least two inches and let sit at room temperature overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans. 

Speedy method: canned beans

If you’re really pressed for time, canned pinto beans are a great alternative! Drain and rinse 2 cans of pinto beans. In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, render the fatback until soft and translucent, reduce your heat to medium-low and continue to the “fry the beans” step. Since you won’t have any cooking liquid to mash the beans with, use vegetable stock or chicken stock. 

Stick to small cuts.

The bean will get most of their flavor from the cooking liquid. To get as much flavor as possible and to mash to easier to mash the beans, dice the onion, guajillo chile and fatback in very small pieces before adding to the beans. 

Season as you go.

Choosing when to salt the beans is also an intense point of debate in dried bean cooking. Adding salt during the soaking process will toughen the beans and require a longer cooking time to reach the desired texture. Season the beans right before cooking, when adding the aromatics. Add half the seasoning mix to start and so that you are able to adjust once the cooking liquid has reduced. Fatback, which is a solid layer of fat from the back section of a pig, often comes with a layer of salt on the exterior. It’s usually hanging out with the pork or other cured meats in the grocery store. To have better control over how much salt you’re adding, be sure to rinse the fatback and pat it dry before dicing. Since fatback is a hard fat, it takes a while to soften enough to mash with the pinto beans. If you plan on using the canned bean method, skip the fatback and add small diced bacon to your skillet about 3 minutes before adding the onion and jalapeno.