Deceitful Beans

Instructions

Pick through the beans and rinse them, removing any gravel or grit. Soak the beans in water, enough to cover them by several inches, preferably overnight.

Place the salt pork in the bottom of a stockpot or a large, heavy saucepan. Drain the beans, add them to the pot, and cover them with 6 cups water. Add all the other ingredients except the salt, cover the pot, and bring the beans to a simmer. Simmer them over low heat for 1 hour.

Stir the beans up from the bottom, and check the liquid level. If there is not at least an inch more water than beans, add enough hot water to bring it to that level. Continue simmering the beans, checking every 30 minutes for the next two hours, and then every 15 minutes until they are finished, and adding water as needed to keep the level just above the beans. Add the salt near the end of the cooking time. The beans are done when they are soft and creamy but not mushy, with each beat retaining its shape. This should take a total cooking time of about 4 hours (the hardness of the water, the altitude, and particular beans’ obstinacy can all affect the timing). There should be extra liquid at the completion of the cooking, although the beans should not be soupy.

Cowboys always ate their beans with a spoon, and had sourdough biscuits and coffee on the side. Serves 6 to 8.

Texas Home Cooking

Author's Comments

Easy to carry on trail drives, dried beans were popular with the cowboys, who called them such nicknames as “Mexican strawberries” and “whistle berries.” The cook didn’t have a wide range of ways to add flavor, but he managed well with what was available. This basic recipe is in honor of the cowboy who labeled beans “deceitful”—‘cause they talk behind your back.” For a modern variation with less of the deceit, see Cowpoke Pintos.

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