Alfredo Garcia

Refried Beans

Soak pinto beans, between 2-5 hours, drain & add to large pot. 

Dried pinto beans can be dirty & carry tiny rocks or irregular pieces. Before soaking in water, carefully look through them & remove any of those pieces. Between these 2 lbs of beans I found 3 weird pieces/rocks.

Add in the onion, garlic & cueritos(optional). Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat, & cover. Cook for 2-3 hours. Halfway through, skim the top of the liquid.

Once easily Mashable with your finger, season with salt & combine. Seasoning the beans before cooking, will create tougher beans.

 It’s a lot of beans, divide into ziplock baggies & freeze, they’ll last a couple months.

Melt 1/4 cup lard in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion, jalapeño, tomatoes & garlic. Sauté for 7-10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add in 2 cups of the pinto beans & mash to your desired consistency.

To make them refried, in another skillet, melt another 1/4 cup lard, add the mashed beans to it & cook for another 4-6 minutes.

Serve as a side with your favorite foods. These can also be frozen in zip lock baggies for several months.