These Borracho Beans are pinto beans cooked with bacon, jalapeño, and chipotle peppers, simmered with spices, tomatoes, and dark beer for an over-the-top taste experience. They are a must-try for anyone who loves a taste-bud thrill.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients.
- Dried pinto beans: You can substitute canned pinto beans. Use 3 (15-ounce) cans of beans, drained and rinsed. This will shorten the simmer time, but if you like the rich, complex flavor that simmering beans provide, I suggest using dried beans.
- Bacon: Preferably use thick-cut bacon.
- Jalapeño: You can substitute a serrano pepper.
- Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce: They are packed in small cans with adobo sauce. You can find them in the Hispanic food section of most grocery stores. Store the remaining Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Marjoram: Sweeter, less earthy, and less pungent than oregano. If needed, you can substitute oregano in equal parts.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: I love the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, but you can use any diced tomatoes.
- Dark Mexican beer: Negra Modelo or Dos Equis Amber are great choices.
How To Make Borracho Beans
This is a summary; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Soak the beans overnight.
- Drain the beans in a colander in the sink and rinse. Add them back to the pot, cover with water or broth, and add half an onion and a couple of bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the beans are tender. Drain, then remove the onion and bay leaves.
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven, then drain on paper towels. Don’t remove the bacon fat from the pot.
- Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic and chopped jalapeño.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, chili powder, marjoram, and cumin.
- Add the cooked bacon, cooked pinto beans, brown sugar, tomatoes, and beer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the beer reduces, delivering a rich flavor.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
Cook’s Tips For The Best Borracho Beans
- Sometimes I use the quick soak method for my dried beans. Sort beans, removing any pebbles or debris. Rinse well with cold water. Add the beans to a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Cover them with water, adding 2 inches over the top of the beans. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring the mixture to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Cover and let soak for 1-4 hours or until soft.
- Bay leaves are sharp and can pose a choking hazard. Be sure to fish them out of the pot.
- Don’t skip the step of sautéing the onions, garlic, and jalapeño in bacon grease, as the caramelization process brings out amazing flavor.
- These beans are even better the next day. Heat them in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding more water if they are too thick.
Perfect Pairings
- Meats: grilled chicken breasts, slow cooker pulled pork, crock pot pulled chicken, or oven-baked brisket.
- Tacos: ground beef tacos, shredded beef tacos, or crockpot chicken tacos.
- Breads: cornbread muffins, corn fritters, or skillet cornbread.
Borracho Beans
These Borracho Beans are pinto beans cooked with bacon, jalapeño, and chipotle peppers, simmered with spices, tomatoes, and dark beer for an over-the-top taste experience.
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 157kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb pinto beans
- water or broth
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ lb uncooked bacon
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium jalapeño or serrano pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper minced
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer (preferably Mexican)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- The night before, rinse the pinto beans and sort through them, removing any pebbles. Add the beans to a large pot, cover them with cold water, and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
- Drain the beans in a colander in the sink and rinse. Add them back to the pot, cover with water or broth, and add half an onion and the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the beans are tender. Drain them and remove the onion and bay leaves.
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven, then drain it on paper towels. Don't remove the bacon fat from the pot.
- Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic and chopped jalapeño. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, chili powder, marjoram, and cumin.
- Add the cooked bacon, cooked pinto beans, brown sugar, tomatoes, and beer. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the beer reduces.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat in the microwave at 50% power for 1-minute increments until warm, or on the stovetop over low heat until warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 648mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
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