Hey Y’all!
If there is a nip in the air, here in South Carolina. I think that it’s a sign from God, for me to make pinto beans. There is nothing like a big pot of hearty and meaty beans. Jennifer, calls me country because I just love to eat beans. I can’t help it, I’m a true Southerner. Since the weather is slowly changing, I decided to cook a pot of pinto beans.
I always try to keep a bag of dried beans in the house, I guess it’s just a Southern thing. I had some ham in the freezer and this made me extremely happy. So let’s get cooking y’all!
As always before we start cooking, we’ll need a list of ingredients.
Ingredients
-1 Bag of Pinto Beans
-Spiral Ham
– 8-10 cups of water
-1/4 Cup of cornstarch
-1/4 Cup of water
How to Prepare Pinto Beans for Cooking
First, I’m going to open my beans and pour them into a colander.
Once, my beans are in the colander, I’m going to rinse them to remove any foreign items…lol.
Cooking the Pinto Beans
Since, I’m making a large pot of beans I’m going to need about 8-10 cups of water. You’ll want to make sure that your beans are completely covered with water.
Then, I’m going to add my beans to the water.
Then, bring the beans to a boil take them off the heat. Allow them to sit for about an hour.
When they have finished sitting, you will drain them again.
Drain and rinse your beans in your colander.
Adding the Ham to the Beans
Add another 8-10 cups of fresh water, ham, and seasonings. I just use a little pepper, because I want to get all the flavor from the ham. I didn’t use any salt, because the ham is salty enough. Be sure to taste before adding any salt. Feel free to use whatever seasonings you prefer.
I like my juices thick with my beans, therefore in a separate bowl. I added 1/4 cup of cornstarch or flour and 1/4 cup of water to make a thickening paste.
Then, slowly add your thickening paste to the boiling beans and ham. Be sure to stir as you add it in. Cover with lid and allow to cook on medium heat for about two hours. Check them periodically you should not have to add more water.
After cooking for two hours your beans should be tender, your ham should’ve cooked off the bone, and your juices should be nice and savory.
The Finished Pinto Beans
Now that you’ve finished cooking your delicious pinto beans with ham you can serve it with rice or cornbread. If you’re in need of an amazing cornbread recipe, be sure to click here. This is the perfect fall dish, it’s fairly easy to cook and it can stretch for days. Not to mention you can cook and freeze it for another time. You also can cook your beans and ham in a crockpot.
Hope y’all enjoyed this post, have a wonderful day!
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How to Cook Pinto Beans the Southern Way
Equipment
- Stove
- Colander
- Crockpot(optional)
Ingredients
- 1 Bag of Pinto Beans
- 1 Spiral Ham
- 8-10 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch or flour
- 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- First, I'm going to open my beans and pour them into a colander.
- Once, my pinto beans are in the colander, I'm going to rinse them to remove any foreign items...lol.
- Since, I'm making a large pot of beans I'm going to need about 8-10 cups of water. You'll want to make sure that your beans are completely covered with water.
- Then, I'm going to add my beans to the water.
- Then, bring the beans to a boil take them off the heat. Allow them to sit for about an hour.
- When they have finished sitting, you will drain them again.
- Drain and rinse your beans in your colander.
- Add another 8-10 cups of fresh water, ham, and seasonings. I just use a little pepper, because I want to get all the flavor from the ham. I didn't use any salt, because the ham is salty enough.
- Be sure to taste before adding any salt. Feel free to use whatever seasonings you prefer
- I like my juices thick with my beans, therefore in a separate bowl I added 1/4 cup of cornstarch or flour and 1/4 cup of water to make a thickening paste.
- Then, slowly add your thickening paste to the boiling beans and ham. Be sure to stir as you add it in. Cover with lid and allow to cook on medium heat for about two hours.
- Check them periodically you should not have to add more water.
- After cooking for two hours your beans should be tender, your ham should've cooked off the bone, and your juices should be nice and savory.
I loved this recipe! You need to make sure that you try it!
Author
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! This recipe is delicious and perfect for cool weather!
Can I use ham hock instead of a whole ham?
Author
Hey Lisa! Of course you can use ham hocks, the pork is primarily used for seasoning! I just used the ham because I found it in the freezer…lol! 😁
Do you put lid on them when they’re sitting for an hour?
Author
Hey Lisa! Yes, you can put the lid on them and allow them to sit for an hour.
It was refreshing to know that this is the exact way I’ve been cooking my beans of most kind for the past 15 years, with the exception of the cornstarch slurry, my beans usually will thicken after adding water once or twice, just how my mom taught me lol, but tonight cornstarch it is lol, cause we are Hangry
Author
Hello Terry! Thank you so much for taking the time to write us! I’ve used cornstarch or flour as thickening that’s how I was taught to make beans. It always amazes me how people can make the same dishes in different ways, and they come out equally delicious! I hope you and your family enjoy the beans! Thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful day! 😊