Starting from scratch can make all the difference; these Homemade Refried Beans with Bacon are seasoned during cooking and again when frying and are absolutely amazing! Plus BACON!
I had the best possible intentions; without a Kentucky Derby this year I thought I would give my attention to Cinco de Mayo and try something new; so I decided to try my hand at making refried beans from scratch. It was roundabout but I got there yesterday and we thought these were The Best Homemade Refried Beans...with Bacon!
I really had planned better. While weeks went by without success when I first tried to source some dried pinto beans, a neighbor who knew my plight found some and brought me the perfect gift...yeah pinto beans!
Not being a refried bean expert, I thought I would take the advice of someone else from Texas who pointed me to a recipe she thought looked good. Sure, sounded good enough so I took a leap of faith. Big mistake. They weren't the worst ever but I will always remember thinking how verklempt I was at a result that was less than stellar that had lots of ingredients invested.
I should have taken the time to learn more before I ever tried that recipe and I would have known a couple of things. NO...no half and half and sort of no...not usually mixed with cheese. So now I know and yesterday decided to give it my own twist and wow...OK, these are more what I was talking about. A far cry from any I've ever had!
I won't do a comparison with the cream/cheddar cheese version because I considered that a fail (although my neighbor said he liked it!) but I will highlight what I think made them so stellar. First and foremost, lots of seasoning. Amazing how many recipes for refried beans are so boring. Beans, water, and maybe some onion? No thanks.
So I upped my game. I knew I would be sauteing some aromatics to add to them after they were cooked so I didn't do that again when I pressure cooked them but I did put a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat into the Instant Pot and saute some garlic with spices for just two minutes. Heating up your spices can really open them up and I think it adds more flavor to the final dish.
No bacon fat? No problem, use olive oil or whatever your favorite cooking oil is.
To make the beans I used these ingredients in the Instant Pot:
- Bacon Fat
- Minced Garlic
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Chicken Broth - I actually used a combination of water and my favorite chicken broth concentrate (affiliate link)
- 1 pound of pinto beans
How to Cook Refried Beans
Once the beans have been cooked, they are strained (save that precious cooking liquid!) and then finished in a skillet, the 'frying' of refried. Real old fashioned refried beans use lard to fry them after they are cooked. I actually have some lard in the freezer but I save it for pie crusts so I used bacon fat...and bacon. How could I go wrong, right?
They are best if you take the time to cook them down until they start to become a bit dry, add more stock and repeat once or twice more. Not unlike caramelizing onions, that step adds so much to the flavor. Once finished with frying, then they are mashed, thinned with some of the cooking broth, and the aromatics are added back in along with the bacon.
How to mash them? I've seen suggestions for using a potato masher or a Cuisinart food processor or even a fork. First decide the texture you want. I decided that as long as I was making them that I would keep them chunkier and we loved them so much, no smooth version will ever measure up again.
I don't even have a potato masher, so while unconventional I used a meat tenderizer ( affiliate link)...you know one of those hammer looking things that you pound meat with. It worked perfectly so I can suggest it for your use. A friend said she uses a pastry cutter; I can see that working well too!
These were so good that next on my agenda will be some Refried Bean Nachos. I'm going to combine the beans with cooked ground beef as the featured nacho 'stuff' and make those this weekend...look for that recipe soon!
PIN IT! 'The Best Homemade Refried Beans With Bacon'
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