Best Recipe for Chef John's Santa Maria-Style Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pink beans (such as pinquito)
- cold water to cover
- 2 slices peppered bacon, diced
- 1/2 cup diced smoked ham
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (optional)
- 1 pinch dried oregano
Instructions
- Place pink beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
- Place drained beans in a stockpot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until almost completely tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
- While beans are simmering, cook and stir bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until cooked through but not crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ham; cook and stir until ham is heated through, about 1 minute. Stir garlic into ham mixture and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, ketchup, sugar, dry mustard, paprika, chili powder, salt, chipotle chile powder, and oregano. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
- Drain beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Combine beans, reserved liquid, and tomato mixture in the beans stockpot; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and mixture has thickened, about 30 minutes.
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