Santa Maria Pinquito Beans

DivotMaker

New member
Pinquito Beans:
1 lb dry Lompoc Bean Co. pinquito beans
7 slices thick-cut Wright’s bacon (hickory), cubed into ½” squares (any good thick bacon will do.)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 large Anaheim pepper, chopped
1 can Rotel original
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
1 Tbs. sea salt
2 Tbs. light brown sugar

Directions:  Soak beans in cold water for 10 hours, then change water and simmer on medium heat for 2-3 hours.  Drain beans, but keep 2 cups of the bean water after cooking.  Do not add salt to the beans while they are cooking in this stage; it makes the skin tough!
In a cast iron Dutch oven, cook the bacon cubes, stirring often.  Remove cooked bacon to a separate bowl, and drain bacon grease, except 1 Tbs.  In the hot pan, add chopped onion, garlic and pepper, stir to brown.  Add in bacon, Rotel and enchilada sauce, mix thoroughly.  Add in beans, salt and brown sugar, and enough of the leftover bean juice to make the beans wet, but not too soupy.  Continue to simmer on low heat for an hour (to blend the ingredients), stirring occasionally. 
 

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The beans were a huge hit! I've never had Santa Maria bbq, so I can't speak to the "authenticity" in the flavor for Santa Maria bbq/beans, but the flavor was not at all like anything we are used to in Wisconsin. It's very unique, and a nice balance of salt, spice, sweet, acid. My brother can't stop talking about them. I gave him a big tub of the leftovers, and he shared some with a friend today who also went nuts over them. My brother asked for the recipe, and I also gave him a pound of uncooked pinquito beans that I had on hand. I used 6 ounces of my own bacon edges/trimmings, and it seemed to put it over the top. It was a different type of smoke flavor than I would have gotten with store-bought bacon.
 
Thank you, Kari!  So glad everyone enjoyed them!  I made a batch yesterday to have with a pork loin.  The Anaheim pepper I used, or combo of the onions, gave this batch a little more "zing" than usual!  Tasted great, but a little zippier than usual.
 
DivotMaker said:
Thank you, Kari!  So glad everyone enjoyed them!  I made a batch yesterday to have with a pork loin.  The Anaheim pepper I used, or combo of the onions, gave this batch a little more "zing" than usual!  Tasted great, but a little zippier than usual.

Haha. I ended up using two "medium" Anaheims, and the beans were a little zippy too. Not too much for me though! Sometimes Anaheims have practically no heat, and sometimes they can be hot.
 
You're right about the Anaheim peppers!  I just love the taste of them, over pretty much all others.  I use them for this recipe because they are native to California, and have been traditionally used there.
 
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