San Ignacio Smoked Beans

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About this recipe

In this blog post I will guide you thru the steps and ingredients needed to craft this recipe. Grab your favorite apron and let's start.
The San Ignacio smoked beans recipe is a delicious and hearty dish that combines the rich flavors of beans with a smoky twist. This recipe is perfect for those who love bold and savory flavors. The beans are slow-cooked to perfection, allowing them to absorb the smoky essence while maintaining their creamy texture. With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe is easy to make and will leave you craving for more.

Keywords: San Ignacio, smoked beans, recipe, hearty, savory.

san ignacio smoked beans recipe details

San ignacio smoked beans recipe, recipe Rating: 4.6
Number of votes:110

Here’s a bowl of smoky, spicy, succulent beans you’ll want to make a meal of, though they are great as a side dish, too! Yeah, there are quite a few ingredients and they do take a bit of time to prepare, but you get enough for a big “do” or enough to freeze in serving-sized quantities and eat for a long time. They are a staple around here for summer get-togethers as well as for winter snow days. This recipe contains both regular and faster pressure-cooker instructions. (See Footnotes)

Ready in: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 20

• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or diced
• 2 pounds dried pinto beans, sorted through
• 6 cups chicken broth (low-sodium is best)
• 3 cups water
• 2 jalapeño chiles, seeds and veins removed, diced
• 2 New Mexico (Big Jim) chiles, roasted, peeled and diced (or 1 4-oz. can diced green chiles)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves (Mexican is best)
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 smoked turkey legs (or 4-6 smoked ham hocks)
• As needed additional water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced (or 2 teaspoons Tabasco brand chipotle sauce)
• 1 or 2 corn tortillas (or 1 or 2 handfuls of crushed tortilla chips), as needed

Preparation method

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 1 hour

1. In a pressure cooker (uncovered) over medium high heat, fry the minced bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon bits to a paper towel lined plate to drain and pour off all but about a tablespoon of the fat.
2. Return the pan to the heat and add the diced onion. Sauté until the onions have softened and are beginning to turn opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the beans, chicken broth, water, jalapeños, green chiles, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and 2 teaspoons of the black pepper. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add the turkey legs, stuffing them well down into the beans.
4. Cover and seal the pot and return it to the stove. Cook at high pressure (15 psi) for 50 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then check to ensure the beans have soften adequately. (If not, remove the turkey legs and re-pressurize and cook an additional 10 minutes)
5. Remove and shred the meat from the turkey legs, being sure to remove all the long stringy bones and cartilage.
6. Return the meat to the pot and place the pot uncovered over medium high heat. If needed, add some water to bring the sauce level just above the beans.
7. Add the salt, pepper, and chipotle sauce and stir well. If the sauce seems a tad thin, add in the chopped tortillas (or tortilla chips) and bring the pot to a boil, stirring often. Serve hot.Alternate method

Cooking these on the stove-top, in the oven (250°) or in a slow cooker will require the beans be soaked overnight (then drained) prior to cooking and a cook time of 6-8 hours at a simmer, then an additional hour or so at a slow boil. You’ll need to stir the bean regularly to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.

Tip

Never add salt to your beans until they have been cooked/softened. Salted beans tend to remain much firmer and may not even soften enough to serve.

Tip

These beans have relatively little heat (chile-wise), so you might consider increasing the amount of jalapeño, green chile, red pepper flakes and/or chipotle sauce.