Cowboy Pinto Beans
1 pound dried pinto beans, debris removed, soaked overnight and drained 1/4 lb. salt pork 8 cups water, plus more as needed 1 can whole tomatoes with juice (14 oz) 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large onion, chopped 2 T. chili powder 1 t. ground cumin 2 jalapeño chile peppers, seeded and chopped 1 T. Worcestershire 1 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup 1 t. kosher salt
Wash and pick over the beans, removing wrinkle dor shrunken beans. Make several cuts in the salt pork down to, but not through, the rind. combine the beans, salt, pork, water, tomatoes garlic, onion chili powder, cumin, chili peppers, Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce in a heavy pan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook very slowly, covered, stirring the beans up from the bottom occasionally and adding water if they start to look dry. Cook for at least 2 hours. When the beans are soft not mushy, but still hold their shape, they are done. Serve hot. Tip: Julia Chile's method of soaking beans is to cover them with plenty of water and boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover tightly and let sit for 1 hour. Then drain and cook as usual. Serves 6 to 8 Note from the cookbook: These beans taste like you're eon the Chisholm Trail, fresh from a cattle drive. They're a bunch of work, but they're worth it, for the flavor is straight from the Old West...other than the Worcestershire sauce, that is. Source: One of my old cookbooks