Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans with Bacon and Chorizo)
Pinto beans simmered in their own broth with bacon, chorizo, ham, tomato, onion and jalapeño. A brothy, smoky northern Mexican side served with every carne asada.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large 6-litre pot with the water, the onion chunk and the garlic. Simmer over low heat, lid half on, for 1½–2 hours, until the beans are soft all the way through. Do not add salt yet.
- 500 g pinto beans
- 2.5 litres water
- half, in a chunk white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: beans are fully tender and some skins have started to split
Fry the meats
In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 5 minutes until the fat runs out. Add the and ham and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring, until browned.
- 150 g bacon
- 150 g
- 100 g cooked ham
✅ Done when: bacon is crisp; chorizo and ham reach 71°C/160°F internally, no longer pink, and juices run clear
Make the sofrito
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Combine and simmer
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Serve
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Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large 6-litre pot with the water, the onion chunk and the garlic. Simmer over low heat, lid half on, for 1½–2 hours, until the beans are soft all the way through. Do not add salt yet.
- 500 g pinto beans
- 2.5 litres water
- half, in a chunk white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: beans are fully tender and some skins have started to split
Fry the meats
In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 5 minutes until the fat runs out. Add the and ham and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring, until browned.
- 150 g bacon
- 150 g
- 100 g cooked ham
✅ Done when: bacon is crisp; chorizo and ham reach 71°C/160°F internally, no longer pink, and juices run clear
Make the sofrito
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Combine and simmer
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Charro beans are named after the charros, the horsemen of Mexico's ranches, who cooked beans in clay pots over the fire with whatever meat they had.
In Monterrey and across the north, no Sunday carne asada is complete without a big pot of frijoles charros simmering next to the grill.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Smoky, meaty and brothy, they turn humble beans into a feast.
💡 Fun Fact
A 'drunk' version, frijoles borrachos, is made by adding a bottle of beer to the pot.
Nuevo León and northern Mexico
25.69°N, -100.32°W
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