Cowboy Beans

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 1  ham hock 
• 1  jalapeño chile whole
• 2 cups pinto beans cleaned drained
• 4 ounces pork chorizo 
• 6 servings salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 2 slices bacon thick-cut finely chopped
• 5 cups water 
• 0.7 cup onion white finely chopped

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• ladle
• pot
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Watch how to make this recipe.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the soaked beans, ham hock, bay leaf, garlic, jalapeno, and 5 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender. If the beans absorb too much water, add 1 cup of water after 1 hour and continue cooking (Beans mixture should remain soupy while cooking). Turn off the heat.
3. Cook the bacon in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until almost crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until translucent.
5. Transfer bacon and onion mixture to the pot with the beans. Wipe pan clean. In same pan cook chorizo over medium heat until crisp, about 1 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and drain on paper towels.
6. Add to the beans. Season lightly with salt, if necessary. Stir the beans over medium-high heat until heated through.
7. Remove the bay leaf and ham hock and discard. Ladle into bowls and serve.
8. Cook's Note: In place of soaking the beans, you can use 3 (15-ounce) cans rinsed and drained pinto beans. Proceed as above but reduce the cooking time to 1 hour.