Pinto Beans with Bacon Sous Vide

Pinto beans are said to hail from Peru and a bit later found themselves in Latin America. Their beige-coloring with streaks of pinkish-brown make them look almost painted. This visual distinction is probably how the bean received its name as pinto translates to paint in Spanish.

Bean cooks I’m sure are a bit shocked to see that this recipe calls for dried beans with no presoaking. Keep an open mind this no-soak bean is not unique to the sous vide method as I’ve been making this type of bean conventionally for years in an old cast iron pot my go to bean dish. Whether they cozy up to a nice grilled steak, or topped with some smoky barbecue or eaten with just a warm hunk of cornbread these beans are delicious.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pinto beans, dry, cleaned and picked through

• 1/2 pound bacon, thick sliced, coarsely chopped

• 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano, dried

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

• 1/2 medium red onion, peeled and chopped

• 3 cups water

• Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Set the SV1 to 190º F/87º C

2. Using the VacMaster bag stand combine the beans, bacon, oregano, onion, garlic, water and salt to taste in an appropriately sized VacMaster bag and using a VacMaster chamber machine vacuum seal.

3. Carefully place the bag in the water bath of the SV1 and cook for 6-8 hours or until the beans are tender to your liking. If unsure you can carefully pinch the bag and see if the beans are tender.

4. Use the beans immediately or chill the bag thoroughly and refrigerate until needed.