Ranch Style Beans

By Foodiewife

I give full credit to the food blog "The Homesick Texan" (Lisa Fain) for creating her version of canned Ranch Style Beans. I made a few minor tweaks, but increasing some of the spices and slow-simmering the beans until they were a thicker consistency. Yes, these are Rootin' Tootin' good beans. The best part is-- you made them yourself, and they're very cost effective, too!

Ingredients

• 16 ounces dried pinto beans
• 6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup of water
• 6 cups beef broth
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.

NOTE: I add one teaspoon of baking soda to my bean soak.

Drain the soaked beans.

In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so.

In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the cooked onions and garlic in a food processor, or blender, and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.

Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree.

On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I check my beans for tenderness as depending on the freshness of the beans I find that the cooking time can be as short as two and a half hours and as long as four hours. When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: I like to low-simmer my beans until they become nice and thick-- about three hours.