Barbecue Beans
Don’t hesitate to serve these along with classic Texas barbecue beef,
pork ribs, and chicken.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 pound (about 3 cups) dried beans, preferably pink beans, pinto beans,
or kidney beans, picked over, soaked overnight, and drained
2 smoked ham hocks
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons well-flavored chili powder, or more to taste
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sour cream, regular or light
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Place the beans in a medium size heavy
kettle. Add the ham hocks, onion, garlic, and chili powder.
Stir in enough water to cover the beans
by 2 inches. Cover and simmer over low heat until the beans are just
tender, about 2 hours.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook 30 minutes
longer.
Season well with salt and pepper and add
more chili powder of you like.
Heat 5 minutes longer, remove the ham
hocks and strip the meat from the bones.
Return the meat to the beans.
Serve very hot in bowls, garnished with
the sour cream and cilantro.
Note:
Do not add the tomatoes or salt until the beans are already tender. The
acid in the tomatoes slows the softening of the beans, as does the
salt.
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