Aaron Franklin's Pinto Beans

So I got this recipe from Homesick Texan's site. She mentioned peppery in her intro, but I kind of missed that part. I was too focused on beans and brisket. Also my friend Todd had gotten Aaron Franklin's Cookbook, so I figured if a personal friend and a blogger both got this book, and pretty much everyone says Aaron Franklin is the best BBQer of all time, well I should make these beans.

And I had every intention too. Then I had that Orange Creamsicle drink and a few beers and using sharp objects isn't a smart idea when I'm sober, so D prepped this on Saturday night.

We had planned on going to 3-4 different Barbecue Restaurants for lunch Sunday but Biscuits and Gravy were had (yes, I made biscuits), and then a nap was required, and so we settled on the quickest one, as D still had to make Carne Guisada.

So we ended up getting 1/2 pound of brisket at Grand Champion Barbecue (their pulled pork and brisket sandwiches were good, as well).

Anyway, back to the beans...D chopped up the meat, and there was a little over a cup, but he dumped it all into the beans.  And we waited for the Carne Guisada.

So the beans were spicy.  Immediately I thought because of the chili powder, but D said the pepper.  I thought about it and agreed.  So next time we make it we will back off on the pepper to 1/2 TBSP.

But the first 3 bites, before the heat started building were awesome!

Aaron Franklin's Pinto Beans

From Homesick Texan

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
1 pound dried pinto beans
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt*
1 tablespoon black pepper (next time, cutting back to 1/2 TBSP)
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped smoked brisket

Instructions:
Rinse the pinto beans and remove any rocks. Place the beans, onion, chili powder, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin in a large pot. Cover with 2 inches of water, stir until the spices are well distributed, and then soak the beans uncovered for 8 hours. Alternatively, you can bring the pot to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let them quick soak for 1 hour.

To cook the beans, add the brisket to the pot. (Do not drain the soaking liquid.) You want there to be at least an inch and a half of water above the beans, so add more water to the pot if needed. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down the heat down to low, cover the pot, and then gently simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the cover and then continue to cook the beans until they’re tender, which will depend on the age of the beans. This can happen anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours.

If you want to make these in the slow cooker, after soaking, cook them covered on low for 6 hours, then remove the lid and continue to cook on low for 2 more hours.

Yield: 6 to 12 servings

*Notes:
If you're not using kosher salt but table salt or sea salt instead, reduce the amount of salt to 1 tablespoon, otherwise the beans may be too salty.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Servings: 8; Amount per Serving
Calories: 235; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 756 mg; Potassium: 111 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 37 g; Dietary Fiber: 10 g; Sugars: 2 g;  Protein: 18 g