Charro Beans
Use canned or homemade pinto beans to make these hearty, meaty charro beans – a staple in Mexican cuisine.
Looking for a unique bean recipe that’s appropriate for a summer picnic, potluck, side dish or main course?
Then check out these savory, spicy, smoky charro beans!
I was lucky enough to try homemade charro beans made by a Mexican friend, and they were absolutely delicious. This is my take on the recipe – I hope you enjoy!
What Are Charro Beans?
Charros are traditional Mexican horsemen – and charros frijoles (charro beans) can be roughly translated to “ranch beans”.
Charro beans are seasoned pinto beans cooked with onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, and a variety of meats. This is a very hearty dish, and can be considered a side dish or a main course.
Some charro bean recipes call for several types of meats: Hot dogs, polish sausage, chorizo, bacon, leftover ham, etc.
I opted to use hot dogs and smoked polish sausage. No extra cooking required!
Don’t be deceived by the photos.. they may look like baked beans but they’re not sweet like baked beans.
How To Make Pinto Beans In A Slow Cooker
Note: You can used canned pinto beans or homemade pinto beans to make charro beans.
Making your own pinto beans from dried beans is the slightly cheaper option.
Making homemade beans in a slow cooker couldn’t be easier. And although canned beans are not an expensive food to purchase, preparing dried beans is an even cheaper option.
The process is simple:
- Soak beans
- Place in slow cooker with enough water to cover by an inch
- Add spices and aromatics
- Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or low for 7 to 8 hours
Get the full recipe: How To Make Pinto Beans In The Slow Cooker
Cook up a batch of pinto beans, use them to make charro beans, cheesy pinto bean dip or another delicious bean-based recipe, and freeze the rest for future use.
Serve with your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex foods:
Charro Beans
You can use homemade or canned pinto beans for this recipe.
If the beans begin to dry out during the cooking process, add water, 1/4 cup at a time to moisten.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease (or cooking oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 3 cups cooked pinto beans (or two 16-ounce cans, drained)
- 4 hot dogs, cut into small coins
- 7 ounces smoked polska kielbasa (Polish sausage) cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in a little water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Saute onions in bacon grease or cooking oil for about 2 minutes. Add jalapeno and Roma tomatoes. Cook for another minute.
- Add hot dogs and polish sausage and cook for about 2 more minutes, stirring.
- Add beans, ketchup, chicken broth, and garlic powder. Cook for several minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time, if the beans begin to dry out in the cooking process.
Does one bag of pinto’s make 3 cups of soaked beans. I have 1 pound bags and the meats and thinking of soaking the bag of beans and cooking this tomorrow.
Great recipe for a heart attack!
Haha.. how so?