Borracho means drunk, and it refers to the beer in the cooking liquid. If you're cooking beans and pork roast at the same time, you can use the fatty pieces of pork that you remove while carving to add flavor to the beans. Otherwise, use some bacon.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 6 cups

　　2 cups dried pinto beans

　　4 cups water

　　1 can beer

　　1 clove garlic, minced

　　1/2 onion, finely chopped

　　3 sprigs epazote (optional)

　　1 tablespoon guajillo chile powder (ground chiles)

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

　　1 cup finely chopped fatty pork scraps or bacon

　　One 15-ounce can of tomatoes, chopped

　　1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

　　

Step 1

Sort the beans to remove any stones or grit. Rinse the beans in a colander and place in a large pan with the water and beer. Add the garlic, onion, epazote (if using), chile powder, cumin, pork or bacon, tomatoes, and salt.

　　

Step 2

Boil the beans for an hour and then reduce to a simmer and cook over very low heat until soft (12 hours in crockpot or other slow cooker works best). Keep the level of the broth a good inch or so above the beans, and add more water as needed. Serve with broth in a bowl as a side dish.

　　Legends of Texas Barbecue CookbookChronicle Books