Carne asada and frijoles charros are the main dish at outdoor, sunset parties in the northeast region of the country. Some people call them “cowboy beans” or “Frijoles Charros” on this American side of the border, but believe me, the Mexican recipe is a little different.
Charro Beans
In Mexico, a carne asada party only takes a couple of phone calls from relatives, friends or “compadres” to organize a plan to see who will bring the steaks, drinks, salsas, guacamole, tortillas, onions and the pot of frijoles charros.
And if you add a cup or two of beer to the pot of frijoles charros you’ll have frijoles borrachos. At some of the steakhouses they bring this soup to the table before you order your dish without even asking for it. The soup itself is a great dish to have on a cold day.
How to make frijoles charros
Ingredients
Bay beans
Chopped onion
Chopped garlic cloves
Chorizo
Chopped bacon
Tomatoes
Serrano peppers
Chopped cilantro
Optional:
Cooked ham
Salt to taste
*Cooking the beans:
To cook the beans, place 2 cups dried beans, ¼ of a medium white onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves and 8 cups of water in a large pot. Cook for about 2 hours or a little longer until tender. Soaking the beans overnight speeds up this process.
Instructions:
- Place the beans and their broth in a large pot and set aside.
- Fry the bacon and chorizo in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes, if you prefer you can cook the bacon first until crispy and remove the fat, add the chorizo to cook with the bacon. I like to cook them together. At this time add ham and other meats such as ½ cup of chopped sausage and 1 cup of pork rinds, if you use them.
- After 5 minutes add the onion, garlic and chiles and fry for 2 more minutes.
- Add the chopped tomato and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 8 minutes.
- Once the tomato has released its juices, mix everything with the beans. Add the crispy ham and chicharrones or sausage at this time. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, to blend the flavors. Add water if necessary. The consistency should not be thick.
- Add salt – to adjust the flavor – and chopped cilantro just before serving.
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