Cowboy Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cups pinto beans dried
• 1 Tbsp bacon fat 
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (if not using the bacon fat, use 2 Tbsp vegetable oil)
• 1 medium onion yellow chopped
• 5  garlic cloves minced
• 1  ham shank smoked
• 2 cups water 
• 2 cups hot-brewed coffee black
• 1.5 cups tomato-based barbecue sauce 
• 0.3 cup jalapeño peppers chopped
• 0.3 cup onion red chopped for garnish
• 8 servings salt to taste

Equipment

• pot
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Soak the beans overnight and then drain. Alternatively, bring a pot with the beans covered with 2 inches of water to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for a hour, then drain.
2. Heat the bacon fat and the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed lidded pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often, until translucent and just beginning to brown.
4. Add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
5. Add beans, ham hock water, salt, coffee to the onions, simmer:
6. Add the drained beans into the pot with the onions.
7. Add the ham hock, the water, a little salt, and the coffee.
8. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook this way for 50-60 minutes or longer. (Some beans may take longer to cook, especially if they are older.) The beans should be edible, but still just a little firm (not mushy soft).
9. Add BBQ sauce, simmer:
10. Add the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low heat until the meat from the ham hock begins to separate from the bone, up to 2 hours.
11. Check on everything from time to time. If the beans begin to break down, pull the ham hock and strip the meat from the bone.
12. The acid from the barbecue sauce should help the beans hold their shape.
13. Add salt to taste.
14. Add pickled jalapeños or some Tabasco to taste for some heat.
15. Serve with a little grated cheese and chopped red onion on top.