How to Cook Pinto Beans the Southern Way

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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