Anonymous Tue May 23 19:43:07 2006

**SEE BELOW**

What follows is more a method than a recipe... Wash 2 - 3 cups of pinto or pink beans in a

strainer. Check for and remove any dirt clods, stones and shriveled or otherwise

bad-looking beans. Put beans in a pot or other suitable container and cover with a couple

inches of cold water. Let beans soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans

and put in an ovenproof container. I use a cast iron pot. A ceramic bean pot would be ideal,

but I don\'t have one big enough. An oven-proof glass casserole or stainless steel pot can

also be used. Saut� some chopped onions and chopped fresh chilies in peanut or corn

oil. I use a combination of mild Anaheims and/or poblanos, jalapenos and/or serranos for

a bit of heat, and ripe Fresnos or other ripe red chilies, if available, for a bit of color. Stir the

saut�ed onions and chilies into the beans. Cover beans with an inch or two of broth. I use

the smoky flavored broth I make and freeze from leftover smoked turkey or chicken if I have

some

available...regular chicken or turkey broth if not. De-stem and remove the seeds from a half

dozen or so whole small dried chilies such as Fresno, puya or jalapeno...or 2 - 3 larger

chilies such California, New Mexico and ancho. Sometimes I throw in a couple of chipotles

as well for their nice smoky flavor and heat. Stir in some ground cumin and crushed

Mexican oregano (about half a teaspoon or to taste). Push a couple of sprigs of fresh

epazote into the beans. Cover the pot and bake in an oven at 225 to 250F until beans are

cooked through, usually 7 to 8 hours. After a couple of hours, check to make sure there\'s

liquid covering the beans. Add liquid as necessary (broth or water is fine, but my

homemade pumpkin ale works even better) to make sure the beans are still cooking in

some broth. Remove the cover for the last hour or so and continue to add a little liquid if

necessary to make sure there\'s some broth left at the end of cooking. When the beans are

done, fish out the epazote an

d dried chilies. Discard the epazote and put the chilies in a blender, add some of the bean

broth and thoroughly puree. Add the broth/chile puree back to the bean pot and stir in.

Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper if desired. Serve with shredded jack or

cheddar cheese, chopped onion, sliced pickled jalapenos, salsa, hot sauce (or whatever

else might suit your fancy) on the side to add per individual discretion. Enjoy... Posted to

the BBQ List by Rich McCormack on Oct 17, 1998.