Frijoles Charros – Cowboy Beans

Hello and welcome, it’s great to see you! Today I have a wonderful brothy bean dish perfect as a main or a side. Frijoles Charros or Charro Beans are named for the horsemen, the Charros (cowboys) of Northern Mexico. Also a popular Tex Mex dish, Charro Beans are brothy, meaty, savory, a little spicy and completely satisfying. I used canned pinto beans, so it all came together in about 30 minutes, which is great for a weeknight. Let’s get right to it!

Charro Bean Prep

There isn’t a lot of prep for this recipe. Start with slicing a pound of bacon strips into 1/2-inch pieces. Get a Dutch oven or large pot and over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces, stirring occasionally until browned and evenly cooked through. Take care not to overcook the bacon; Don’t let it get super crispy, then cut the heat under the bacon.

While the bacon is cooking dice half an onion and slice a fresh jalapeño into thin rounds. Press or mince 3-4 cloves of garlic. Otherwise we have cumin, oregano, our 3 cans of rinsed pinto beans and 4 cups of chicken broth.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon out of the Dutch oven to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Turn the heat back up under the Dutch oven to medium heat and add the diced onions and the sliced jalapeños to the remaining bacon fat. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Stir the onions and sauté until softened.

Once the onions have softened, add the garlic and cumin. Stir to combine and toast the seasoning with the aromatics until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add the beans and the oregano. Stir the beans and oregano into the aromatic mixture.

Add the bacon back to the pot and add the chicken broth.

Stir the Charro Beans and bring up to a simmer. When simmering, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Simmer covered for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, uncover and continue simmering for 3-5 minutes. Cut the heat and taste the Frijoles Charros. Add kosher salt if needed. Then ladle individual servings into bowls and give each serving a squeeze of lime juice. Top the servings with a diced onion and fresh cilantro leaves.

Frijoles Charros

These beans are incredibly delicious. You can easily increase the amount to save and freeze half the batch. For every additional can of beans, add 1 cup of broth. It’s not super spicy, but if you’re completely averse to heat, leave out the jalapeño or switch the pepper to the milder poblano.

Thank you so much for joining me today for these hearty, delicious Frijoles Charros, or Cowboy Beans. I do hope you give this recipe a go, it’ll knock your socks off! If you want to try something a little different, try Sazón Chicken Chili with White Beans. Have a great day, take care and be well. xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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