Chef John's Santa Maria-Style Beans

Chef John's Santa Maria-Style Beans
  • 1 pound dry pink beans (such as pinquito)
  • cold water to cover
  • 2 slices peppered bacon, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced smoked ham
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (optional)
  • 1 pinch dried oregano


  1. Place pink beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
  2. Place drained beans in a stockpot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until almost completely tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
  3. While beans are simmering, cook and stir bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until cooked through but not crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ham; cook and stir until ham is heated through, about 1 minute. Stir garlic into ham mixture and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, ketchup, sugar, dry mustard, paprika, chili powder, salt, chipotle chile powder, and oregano. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
  4. Drain beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Combine beans, reserved liquid, and tomato mixture in the beans stockpot; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and mixture has thickened, about 30 minutes.

04/12/2018
Chef John's Santa Maria-Style Beans, recipe PT15M PT1H 5 455 calories

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