Spring Hill Ranch 3-Bean Beans

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♼ Featured image is generic and may not represent the (final) appearance of a dish. Spring hill ranch 3 bean beans recipe, recipe Rating: 4.5
Number of votes:103

Not really beans, because there’s so much meat in ’em. And not really chili because there are beans in it. Not really Western or Southwestern because the sauce has a tad bit of molasses and vinegar in it. I guess one might say that this is an amalgam of a number of regional bean recipes that came out absolutely fantastic!

Ready in: 2 hours 30 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 8

• 2 pounds skirt or flank steak, 1/4-1/2″ diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. divided
• 6 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, 1/4″ diced
• 1/2 large red onion, 1/4″ diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 medium chile jalapeños (or chile serranos), seeded and finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (no substitutes), plus more to adjust flavor after cooking
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed)
• 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans with liquid
• 1 can great northern or cannallini beans with liquid
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (light brown sugar may be used)
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Preparation method

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 2 hours

1. Toss the diced steak with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.

2. In a large Dutch oven (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat, render the bacon until just starting to crisp, 6 to 7 minutes, stirring as needed.

3. Remove 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon drippings and reserve it for later. Add the onions and jalapeños to the pot and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes more. Add in the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Remove everything from the pot to a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Wipe down the inside of the pot, add the reserved 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and, just before it starts to smoke, add in 1/3 to 1/2 of the steak and cook, stirring as needed until just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Remove to the vegetable bowl, repeat with the remaining steak.

5. Once the steak is cooked, deglaze the pot with 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Return all the vegetables and cooked steak back to the pot and add in the beans. Add the molasses, brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, stirring to combine.

6. Bring the pot to a simmer over low heat. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes to assure that the bottom doesn’t stick. If needed (it generally is not), add in more apple cider vinegar, a few tablespoons at a time to personal taste. Serve as a side dish or as a meal with crusty bread.Tip

If you are going to dice up some meat, like the skirt steak and bacon in this recipe, stick the meat in the freezer for an hour or two. Once it is a bit crunchy on the outside, it dices into nice, uniform pieces without sliding around under the knife.