Homemade Refried Beans

I have been trying to find a way to make our own refried beans.  I really hate the canned kind.  And when I told DH about my idea he really loved that I wanted to try this.

So far this is the two options that I have come across that sound the most promising:

Homemade Refried Beans

Start with approximately 2 pounds of dried pinto beans. It’s important to rinse the beans and pick out any stones or chaff. Fill a deep, heavy stock pot with water and dump the rinsed beans in. Over medium high heat, bring the water to a boil and boil the beans for about five minutes. Cover the pot and let it sit for about an hour. After an hour, rinse the beans thoroughly and put into a six-quart Crockpot. Fill the Crockpot of beans with water up to about 2 inches below the top. (If your Crockpot is smaller, just scale back on quantities.)

Stir in:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/2 t. ground black pepper
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes (optional)
• 2 anaheim peppers, diced (optional)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)

Cook for approximately 12 hours in the Crockpot. Stir periodically and add water if necessary. Don’t let the beans dry out. Eventually, as they cook, they will absorb most of the water. You’re not shooting for soup here, so don’t add too much water. After the beans are mostly cooked, add salt to taste.

Refrigerate overnight and serve the following day.

Here is the other one:

Ben’s refried beans

For this recipe you will need:

• 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
• 1 small onion
• 4 cups cooked pinto beans drain
• Chicken broth (if needed)
• 2 epazote leaves, finely chopped(remember our stinky friend?)
• salt (if needed) and pepper

Preparation:

1. Peel the chorizo casing (it is the thin skin of the chorizo tubes) and fry it in a hot cast iron skillet or heavy skillet until it browns.
2. Add onions and sauté in the chorizo fat until translucent (actually they will turn red).
3. You can either smash the beans with a potato smasher or with a blender, food processor or hand blender. Smashing them with any kind of machine will result in smoother refried beans. If you use a potato smasher add the potatoes to the skillet and smash them. If using a processor, blend them with a little bit of chicken broth before adding them to the skillet.
4. Add epazote and adjust seasoning. Cook for 20 minutes over medium low heat stirring constantly.

I would really love to hear how the rest of you do refried beans.

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