Cooking Beans

Need some input por favor.

My mission was to make a crock pot of Pinto beans for opening weekend, I forgot to put the beans in water as soon as I got home to soak overnight
Long story short they only soaked in water for two hours before the went into the crockpot, after cooking for about 5 hours they were not ready so I left them behind.

They have been cooking mainly on low in the crockpot for about 10 hours now and the beans are still firm.
So the question is just keep cooking them and they will eventually soften up or ?
Hate to chunk them for they have great flavor.

They'll cook just fine, takes lots longer. Put the lid back on and turn up the heat some more, but make sure to add a little more liquid and not burn the bottom

I will tell you this. We bought some beans at the Priddy Store about 10+ years ago when we were at the deer lease and put them on around 9 a.m. They never did get soft in a crock pot on high heat. Never had it happened before or since.

Big beans like pintos are the worst. Heavy thick skins which impede the moisture absorption. That's why I appreciate the Insta-Pot for pressure cooking them quicker

Not to “oxner” this thread, but the 5-Star pinto beans that some wonderful forum member posted about 10 years ago are the best beans ever, and I mean EVER.

No, you didn't Oxner it, you didn't say add a can of refried beans to the beans.

LINK?

I don’t cook beans in a crockpot, just doesn’t seem to come out right.

Don’t take much from my MIL’s cooking but with beans she’s got it down. Soak beans or don’t. Put in a pot on stove cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and let sit for 1 hour. Stir and turn on low to medium heat and add a pack of cooked bacon plus the grease that cooked out and season to taste. Not unique just a classic very good pot of pinto beans.

Old beans won't get soft - I have run into that before. Also not a fan of pintos in a crockpot, the one time I tried it they didn't come out right.

I prefer a pressure cooker. Always perfect.

Had many good bowls of beans from a crock pot. Usually don't soak the beans do add salt pork, chili powder and Lawry's seasoning. Cook on high until done. If done before ready to eat turn to low.

Let them keep cooking

Link to 5 star pinto beans from the way-back machine https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1143029

Keep the lid on and let them cook. Depending how old they are will determine cooking time.

Agree with Wilhunt for I have cooked several batches of beans in that crock pot and they all turned out good!



Bought that pack of beans the day before I started cooking them.

.

Will do ^^^^^^^^^^

No problem using a slow cooker either. I add bacon, quartered onion and chili powder (sometimes a can of Mexican stewed tomatoes). I`ve never soaked my beans because I`ve never planned ahead that much. I wake up and just put them on. One day I`m gonna try it though.

Here`s the beans I took to work before retiring.
1-lb.beans
1 lb. Breakfast sausage (hot). Brown and drain grease before adding.
1 lb. Bacon. (Fry till half done before putting in crock pot)
1 Onion-Quartered
1 Can HEB Mexican Stewed Tomatoes
2-3 Tbs. Morton`s chili blend (any chili powder will do)

Turn up on high and keep cooking. Have always cooked my beans in a crockpot. Sometimes soak overnight, many times have forgot, eventually comes out great either ways.

Chalet is right- beans keep drying and getting harder. I never knew that, always cooked dried beans within a few months but I had some that were a couple of years old and they never did soften up.
For "camp" cooking Lentils don't have to be pre-soaked, just cook. Same with split peas.

Well they finally softened up and it was chow down on time, they were very good.
Thanks for the input

The fat lady sang.

I retired and the income changed so I started saving $ any way I could. One was dry beans versus canned. After a while- decided they taste better, cost less, and no chemicals like canned stuff. I'm now "going backwards", meat with the bones. There must be stuff in the bones that is good for you, etc. Blessing in disguise. Making my own sausage. Know what's in it. No guarantees in this life but it can't hurt.

My Mother was a great cook and she always said pintos needed to be boiled on a rolling boil for at least 15 minutes.
She never soaked her beans. She only washed them and picked out any debris. We get good clean beans now days but back in the 50/60’s you had to pick thru them.

I can't tell you how much it made my day to read this. Thank you

You are spot on about having to "LOOK" the beans as my Mom called it. I have picked out many a rock from the dry pintos. She also taught me to never add any salt till the beans are getting soft, then the last 30 minutes add it in. Other spices and ham or bacon go in after about an hour in the crock pot.

I found a couple of pebbles a while back. ALWAYS sort.

Yes


A good while back, I was visiting with a coworker, and he said he was going
to cook some beans if I wanted to drop back by later.
He opens a sack of beans and pours em straight into the pot. I stopped him
and asked if he was going to sort and wash them first. He was like, why?
So we poked through the beans and found several small dirt clods, and I
washed them really good and poured the water off into a clear drinking
glass. It looked like weak chocolate milk. I asked if he wanted to drink that
water. I told him, that's why you sort and wash beans fresh out of the package
or not

We cook beans often and quit soaking them many years ago. The Casserole brand in the OP are what we have the best results with. I pour them out on the counter top and sort for rocks, which are very rare with this brand, pick out the broken ones per my grandmother's teaching. Then I put them in a pot with water and swirl them around quite a bit to rinse, drain, repeat about 2-3 more times until the water is clear.

Then boil the heck out of them shortly, then turn down and slow boil until soft. The seasonings we use change often, but always have ham hocks or bacon. After that it varies a lot, Tony's, Slap yo Mama, chili powder, etc.

I have put my beans in a pot and brought them to a boil for several minutes mostly because I waited too late to put them on. I transfer them to a slow cooker afterwards with the rest of the ingredients.
Bacon, Onion, 1 can Mexican Stewed tomatoes, Morton's Chili Blend, Chicken bouillon for flavor and salt.

Looks good guys, I just made a big pot of Borracho Beans myself. I don't use a slow cooker though. A regular pot of beans for me is a 4lb sack in a 16qt pot, and I freeze leftovers for quick meals later.

I don't soak my beans. I was taught to rinse them as a kid, but I quit rinsing too 20 yrs ago after eating the best beans of my life at deer camp (weren't rinsed). I do slowly pour them through my hand and check for rocks/bad beans etc, but with the HEB pintos I haven't found a rock in too many years to remember. Beans are a lot cleaner than they used to be, still check anyway. I'm about to eat me some hot boudin with a side of beans & corn tortillas.

Looks good skinner!

for all you crockpot cookers, you need to find the crock pot liner bags ... they will change your life from a clean up stand point ... slow cooker liners

Recently heard, learned, that soaking too long allows them to ferment. Just a few hours and not overnight was suggested.
Cook first in boiling water with onions and peppers or whatever but no salt yet.
Salt too early makes the skins tough and beans take longer to get soft.
Simmer for a few hours then season with salt or chicken bullion to taste and simmer a bit longer.

Beans up here tend to take forever no matter what I try but following the above did help with the last batch.

I love Anasazi beans. HEB in South Texas sells them. I can't find them at the new HEBs here in North Texas.

Yes Sir, they are better than pintos. Love them. Sometimes cook them in a traditional Mexican clay pot on a firepit outside. They have a sweeter butterbean like flavor & texture, and really soak up the seasoning that you give them.

This post reminds me how many times Oxner would have brought up cornbread. He must have really liked cornbread. I miss old Bill.