Drunken Beans (Frijoles Borrachos)

Beans and beer: The perfect marriage for my Cinco de Mayo festivities.

Searching through a number of recipes both online and in cookbooks, I was looking for some inspiration to create a traditional Mexican bean dish with some of my own modifications. I went back to a trusted book from Rancho Gordo and found just what I was looking for… Mexican Drunken Beans.

The result is just the right combination of sweet and spicy. We had them along side some delicious shredded pork tamales and agreed that even if Cinco de Mayo isn’t the most traditional of Mexican holidays, it is the perfect excuse to make some incredible Hispanic food (not that an excuse is ever really needed…)

“One for me… one for my beans.”

I chose a light lager because its’ sweetness would compliment the spicy and smokey flavors from the other ingredients. By the time I served the dish, the beer flavor was subtly delicious and tastes even better when accompanied by one of the leftover refreshments…

What you need:

1- Package Hurst’s® HamBeens® Pinto Beans

1- Cup Diced Onion

1- Poblano Pepper, Diced

2- Serrano Peppers, Minced

1- Cup Sliced Mushroom (Crimini or Portobello)

1- Can Stewed Tomato

1- Can Diced Tomato

2- Limes (one to slice, one for the juice)

3- Cloves Smashed Garlic

1/2 lbs. Bulk Chorizo Sausage

6- 12oz. Bottles of Beer (You can by all means substitute your favorite “south of the border” cerveza)

For serving:

Warm tortillas

Fresh Cilantro

Cotija Cheese (or another of your choice)

1. The first step is to sort through the beans. Rinse in cold water and check for any debris or dirt and discard. Place the rinsed beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with 2 bottles of the beer and 5 cups of water. Let soak overnight or for at least 4 hours.

2. After soaking, drain the excess liquid and pour beans into a large soup pot. Add remaining 4 bottles of beer and 2 cups of H2O. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 1.5-2 hours. Cooking time will vary depending on how long you soaked the beans.

3. While the beans are cooking, prepare the onion, mushrooms, and peppers. Dice the onion and peppers into 1/4″ pieces (mince the Serrano) and slice the mushrooms into bite sized discs.

4. Over med-high heat, cook the chorizo for 8-10 minutes until it browns and begins to get crispy edges. Pour the sausage into the pot of beans and return the pan to the stove.

5. Using some of the drippings from the sausage, saute the vegetables until they begin to soften, then add them to the bean pot.

6. Stir in the cans of tomato and then add Hurst’s Ham Flavor packet. Continue to simmer until ready to serve.

7. Serve the beans hot with warm tortillas, lime wedges and cheese. Drunk Beans are also delicious the following days over some long grain Cilantro Lime Rice. Freezes great too!