"Southern" style beans

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Homercidal

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Growing up, I spent quite a bit of time at my best friend's house. Being poor they would often make "Beans". I loved it! I am not sure exactly what beans they used, but I think they were Pinto beans. However, I know that pinto beans are not as dark as what they served. So I tried Black beans and pinto beans that last time. This gave the dark "gravy" that I remember.

After an all night soak I drained the water (Beans had swelled to gigantic proportions!) and placed the beans in the crock pot with a bunch of leftover ham and let it cook from about 7:00 am til about 4:00 pm and they were still kind of firm, so I turned the pot on high and let it go few more hours and they were pretty good.

BUT! I would like to season them a bit better. I added only enough salt to make them edible and figured I could add a bit to each bowl. I'm just curious if anyone has any ideas on some seasonings for basic "beans". Not baked beans, barbque beans, etc like that. Just beans.

Also finally got some biscuits to turn out, so I'm pretty happy. Nothing like biscuits and beans with eggs for breakfast, unless it's Biscuits and gravy with eggs for breakfast!
 
Awesome man!

I prefer cranberry beans for "BEANS".

They taste better than pintos.

You did everything right....BUT:

Before cooking the beans, put 1-3 pieces of good bacon in your cook pot. Remove bacon, leave grease HOT.

Halve 2 big onions and 2 red bell peppers. Let them cook until dark brown in the bacon grease. Toss your beans and water on that, the onions will darken the liquid and offer HUGE flavor. The bell peppers will mostly disintegrate adding color and flavor. the onions will disintegrate entirely in the long slow cook.

I like to cheat and toss in some store bought cajun seasoning, but salt and pepper are fine. Beans take a LOT of salt.

I like to go even more southern with a ton of chili powder, paprika, and dried chilis. You can't go wrong with some chopped green chilis regardless.
 
When I was in seminary in Missouri I ate a lot of "White beans and Ham" which was a thick side dish (not a soup) usually served with fried catfish and hush puppies that was simply spiced with black pepper. I think the beans were Great Northerns.

I can't find any recipes that approximate it. Everything I find online is either a soup, or it's got a million other ingredients like tons of diced veggies. I remember making it once when I lived there, and whatever I did was dead on, but since it's been a decade since I was there, I can't really recall what I did. I think it was beans, ham, salt and pepper, and that was it, but I can't remember. I'd kill for it again.
 
When I was in seminary in Missouri I ate a lot of "White beans and Ham" which was a thick side dish (not a soup) usually served with fried catfish and hush puppies that was simply spiced with black pepper. I think the beans were Great Northerns.

I can't find any recipes that approximate it. Everything I find online is either a soup, or it's got a million other ingredients like tons of diced veggies. I remember making it once when I lived there, and whatever I did was dead on, but since it's been a decade since I was there, I can't really recall what I did. I think it was beans, ham, salt and pepper, and that was it, but I can't remember. I'd kill for it again.

I sat down in a REAL catfish place one time. Beans and hush puppies hit the table before I had spoken to ANYONE, lol. Before a glass of water, before a "How are you tonight?" I barely had the sense not to say "I didn't order this";)

Great beans to be sure, but I think he means pintos style.
 
We grew up (in Northeast Texas) eating beans (pintos) at least twice a week as a main dish, with a side of pan fried potatoes and skillet cornbread. The beans were seasoned with the left over bone from a ham--but a smoked ham hock is even better. Either will darken the broth a bit. Still to this day, when I think of comfort food, this is what comes to mind.

OK! Now I'm hungry and really want beans and potatoes--and I'd kill for some cornbread in sweet milk!
 
I sat down in a REAL catfish place one time. Beans and hush puppies hit the table before I had spoken to ANYONE, lol. Before a glass of water, before a "How are you tonight?" I barely had the sense not to say "I didn't order this";)

Sounds exactly like the place I used to go to. Jumpin Catfish. Sad thing is, I only ever went for the catfish. I never even realized they had duck confit, quail and a lot of game on the menue.....

I actually can't remember what bean was used in those....maybe it was pinto, and that's why nothing I've made since has been close....hmm?
 
Sounds exactly like the place I used to go to. Jumpin Catfish. Sad thing is, I only ever went for the catfish. I never even realized they had duck confit, quail and a lot of game on the menue.....

I actually can't remember what bean was used in those....maybe it was pinto, and that's why nothing I've made since has been close....hmm?

I think you were right with the northern beans for catfish. I meant that Homer is trying to get at a pintoish recipe.

DAMMIT!!!! Will go home and soak cranberry beans at lunch!!!! Will post up pics.
 
I make smoked beans when I make a brisket. That is the recipe I use Great Northerns for. I make the beans and then while smoking the brisket I place the pan of beans underneath to catch the drippings. Smoke, brown sugar, molasses (etc.) and all that brisket juice meld together, and then I mix the brisket trimmings into the beans before serving--not to mention spritzing the surface with beer every half hour. They're not exactly low fat!
 
I make smoked beans when I make a brisket. That is the recipe I use Great Northerns for. I make the beans and then while smoking the brisket I place the pan of beans underneath to catch the drippings. Smoke, brown sugar, molasses (etc.) and all that brisket juice meld together, and then I mix the brisket trimmings into the beans before serving--not to mention spritzing the surface with beer every half hour. They're not exactly low fat!

You sir are pure EVIL!!!! I prefer some pig in my beans, but I bet those are AWESOME!!!
 
Are you asking about 'soup beans'? That's a staple around here.
 
Nah. Not soup. Just beans. That family also made collared greens (not a fan...) and raised chickens and sometimes had a goat or two. Always had fresh eggs and usually we had to go fetch them. As far as I remember they were just a dark beans in a big pot. Had a thick-ish sauce.

Last night I wanted to eat the last of the beans I made but I held off long enough to bake a batch of biscuits. Was out of shortening, so I substituted that for bacon grease...

WOW! I wasn't expecting them to turn out as nice, but they tasted great! Had a ham and egg biscuit sandwich for breakfast this morning too...
 
Bacon grease is really just lard which is better than vegetable shortening which is really a non-hardening linoleum as far as I'm concerned. I grew up with that being used in johnny cake aka corn bread. Lard got a bad rap from companies pedaling that shortening crap, same as butter and that axle grease margarine. Utter garbage unfit for boot grease.

Kidney beans are very likely what they used, they are the most widely grown dry bean due to excellent production even in less than optimum conditions. I use them for baked beans and chili beans. For stewed beans, which sounds like what you are talking about, I like black eyed peas best.
 
I love beans. Pinto beans, red beans, kidney beans, black beans, cranberry beans, lima beans (though not butterbeans, and especially not the dried ones). I eat a lot of beans, because they're cheap, they're filling, they're easy, and they're good for you. Paired with either cornbread or rice they make a complete protein.
 
I'll eat Black eyes, but am not a real big fan--I'd never order them. I mostly reserve them for New Years.
 
Pretty much any bean can be cooked by the same basic method. I cook different kinds of beans all the time, black, pinto, great northern, navy, cannelini, and all sorts of lentils too. You can soak beans, but that really is just a method to speed the cooking. It also required planning a night ahead and space somewhere on in the kitchen or in the fridge to store. I almost always cook dried beans. Dry beans take slightly longer, but retain color better than soaked beans. For basic beans I place as many rinsed and sorted beans as I want to cook in a large pot than can handle triple or quadruple the volume of the bean, usually at least one pound but sometimes as much as 5-10 pounds. I then cover them with water by a few inches, add 1 small chopped onion, 3 peeled and lightly crushed cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, and usually a nice spoonful of some flavorful fat: lard, bacon dripping, butter, olive oil, duck fat, etc... Bring the beans to a simmer and slow simmer until almost tender. I usually check first after an hour. When the beans are starting to get tender, then add the salt. I like to add enough salt so that the liquid the beans are cooking in is well seasoned. This will make for well seasoned beans. Then continue simmering until the beans are as tender as you like.

If I want to make something a little different, I will add ham hocks or shanks with some smoked sausage and different aromatics for making cajun style beans. Carrot, celery, onion, parsley, thyme for a French feel. Saffron, chorizo, and some fresh pork for a Spanish feel. The last beans I made were a chicken and black bean chili. I used braised chicken thighs and roasted veg (tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and lots of fresh chiles, some homemade beer, but mostly black beans.

My advice would be to stick to one recipe and make a number of times with different types of beans to find out which you prefer. They all taste slightly different, but can really be used interchangeably.
 
I like fresh black eyes best but I have a real hard time growing them in my micro-clime so I'm stuck with dried ones. I'll keep on trying, deer like them quite well too. They aren't fussy, they take plants and all.

Beans are especially good for you should you suffer from night leg cramps as I do when I'm pushing myself too much. Often it is a lack of potassium and/or magnesium.
 
Made the beans ala crock pot to see how that works. It worked great.

Here I browned the onions and bell peppers in bacon grease, along with a leftover chunk of ham from the freezer.

After getting a good sear, I dumped the pan into the crock pot and dumped the soaked beans on top of the peppers and onions.

ForumRunner_20130219_094811.jpg
 
This thread is full of so much win.

Beans do that. Everyone wins with beans. They are easy to store and easy to cook. They take almost any seasoning for flavor. You can get quite filled up and satisfied from eating them. The rest of the day they will even remind you of the good meal you had--and everyone within ear or nose shot. When you lay down at night they even help to keep the sheets warm.
 
Beans do that. Everyone wins with beans. They are easy to store and easy to cook. They take almost any seasoning for flavor. You can get quite filled up and satisfied from eating them. The rest of the day they will even remind you of the good meal you had--and everyone within ear or nose shot. When you lay down at night they even help to keep the sheets warm.

The military in the 18th and 19th Centuries was singing a song at the fire that went "Army Beans! Nice and Clean!..." because the boys knew the beans were just about the only thing they could be assured werent polluted in some way.

People who cannot agree on the size of government, abortion, or gun control... can agree on a good plate of beans.

Most if not all beers go well with beans. Wine... not always.

Beans seem to go well with most hot sauces.

The demographics of people in this country who enjoy beans seem to be completely equal across racial, gender and age lines... sans infants.

I make a pot of "Dominican-style" rice and beans my friend's mom showed me how to make. I have served these beans at some point to 75% of the women I have seen not wearing clothing (in person at least).
 
Usually said chicks were naked on some day prior to me making them dinner, or I made them dinner an hour or two before nudity. Also, I made the beans on a "camping" trip once that had a clothing optional hot tub. The beans and the nudity in the latter instance are coincidental of each other.

But for the beans I use two cans of goya (or similar) black beans, 1 small onion chopped, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1 can of tomato paste and a packet of sazon goya. If I want a little spice and make the beans completely inauthentic I will chop and add a jalepeno as well. I sweat my aromatics in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and then add my beans (the whole can, water included) and stir over medium heat while adding a packet of sazon. When the seasoning is where I want it to be, and some of the water has evaporated, I add my tomato paste and stir in. I take off the heat and deam ready to serve when the beans have thickened considerably and you can serve over rice with a ladel.
 
It's not so bad if you think about it in the terms that you also get to eat some of the beans. It's not like you are giving her all of the beans with the expectation that she will take off her clothes.

I'll have to try this in a few days. My family is likely to have other plans for meals. They did not partake of my beans.
 
Southern beans:

Cranberry beans
Onion
Ham hock or side meat
Water
Salt and pepper
Time
My wife's grandmother's homemade chow chow

A great book is The Gift Of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. My bible for old fashioned southern food done right.
 
HokieBrewer said:
Southern beans:

Cranberry beans
Onion
Ham hock or side meat
Water
Salt and pepper
Time
My wife's grandmother's homemade chow chow

A great book is The Gift Of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. My bible for old fashioned southern food done right.

Soup beans! Don't know why they call em that, cause its not soup.
 
That's the great thing about a hot tub. You can eat beans and they won't know you cut one because the tub is already bubbling away!

(Oh, except for the warm, pungent aroma wafting around in the air currents above the tub...)

Those beans look really good, Creamy. I'm picking up the stuff tonight. Wife is planning on pork chops (Probably simmered in mushroom gravy, but if so, I'm letting the kid cook that for once! Hmm... I'll have to teach her how to cook risotto too..) but maybe the next time I get time in the kitchen I'll mix it up.
 
Well, dinner got cooked without a hitch. The kid pan seared the chops and started them simmering in mushroom gravy. I sweated some onions in a pan with some bacon grease and then we cooked the risotto finishing it off with some peas for something interesting. I also pan fried some asparagus with bacon grease for me and the wife.
 
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