The other weekend I had a craving for a good ole southern meal. What is that you asked?
Well, I was wanting some pinto beans and cornbread! Yes I was born and raised in the north, but I guess my mind, body and taste buds were always a little bit southern! (maybe that is why I knew I had to move down here!)
I really haven't ever made pinto beans myself, but I really do love them. I have made lots of crock pot beans, mainly black beans, so I didn't think that figuring out a recipe would be that big of a challenge. I actually turned to my southern pal, Miss Paula Dean for some help! I used her recipe, which I found at Food Network's website, as a guide. I made several changes to the recipe, so if you want the original Paula Dean version check out her recipe.
Everyone seems to have their own "go-to" recipe for cornbread...at least here in the south they do! Southerners are serious about their cornbread! (I actually went to a cornbread festival here in TN last year and tasted some really unique versions of cornbread! It was a blast!) Cornbread for me, sorry to break it to y'all, has to be sweet :o) Now don't get me wrong, I like southern cornbread, but given the choice I want sweet. That's the northerner in me coming out! Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh ground cornmeal left (I usually buy it locally) so I turned to my trusty, no fail recipe - JIFFY! Jiffy is great to keep on hand. I just follow the recipe on the back of the box and add about 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mix. Stir it all up, pour it in a greased 8 inch cake pan, and in about 10 minutes you will have yourself some tasty cornbread!
Slow Cooker Pinto Beans(adapted from Paula Dean's recipe)
1 pound dry pinto beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
7 - 10 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces (I cooked my bacon first, but you don't have to)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
7 - 10 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces (I cooked my bacon first, but you don't have to)
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
2 cups water
2 cups water
2 cups of chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
Garlic salt
1 onion, chopped
Garlic salt
Season salt
fresh cracked pepper
Wash the beans and soak overnight in cold water. Drain the beans in a strainer and rinse with cool water. Dump into slow cooker. Stir in chili powder and oregano.
Add bacon and minced garlic to slow cooker with beans. Add about 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken stock, or until beans are covered. Add onion to slow cooker with beans and meat. Stir well.
Season, to taste, with garlic salt, season salt and pepper. Cover the pot, and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 5-6 hours.
Serve with cornbread.
Oh God... I grew up eating this stuff. My dad & sister would squirt ketchup on top of the beans & cornbread! Blech! And as for cornbread, I always preferred corncakes, which were like pancakes, but made with cornmeal. We also call them "hot water cornbread" and "hoecakes".
ReplyDeleteahhh...one of my favorite meals! have you ever used chow chow on your beans? i was surprised when one of my friends never had it. my brother and i can't live without chow chow.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a good pinto bean recipe to make from scratch. I was raised on pinto beans and have never had the guts to try to make them since I know I'll probably let myself down when they don't taste like my Grandma's, but I'm going to try your recipe and see how it goes. I'll let you know what happens! Thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteSherry C - I too was nervous that I wouldn't be able to recreate the meal I remembered so well. But this recipe was fantastic and the leftovers were even better!! Definitely let me know what you think!
ReplyDeleteI love this receipe for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans! I make it whenever I am craving them. I was wondering, however, if you have the full nutritional/calorie breakdown for your receipe that you could post? I am tracking calories, etc., for a weight management program I am on and that information would prove very useful. Thanks!
ReplyDelete