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old fashion pinto beans

(3 ratings)
nanasdozen avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Martha Robbins
@nanasdozen
Southern, OR

This is the way I grew up cooking beans and still prefer them to the slow cooker method. I am posting this as a request from another member. It's cooked in a 6 qt pressure cooker. Honestly, I am not sure if 6 qt pressure cookers are even still available. If not just adjust for the size you have.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

After these pinto beans cook in the pressure cooker, they're super creamy. It's a basic Instant Pot recipe, and you can tailor the seasonings to suit your taste buds. The salt alone is fine but, if you want to, kick things up a little Creole seasoning, parsley, or even jalapenos.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 10 to 12
prep time 8 Hr
cook time 30 Min
method Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot

Ingredients For old fashion pinto beans

  • 4 c
    dry pinto beans
  • 1 Tbsp
    salt
  • 6 slice
    bacon
  • water

How To Make old fashion pinto beans

Test Kitchen Tips
This is an old-fashioned recipe written for a stovetop pressure cooker. Since most have the Instant Pot these days, here are adjustments we made for the Instant Pot. You do not need to pre-soak beans for the Instant Pot. When adding water, fill to the -1/2 line. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Let the Instant Pot naturally release for 15 minutes. Then quick release any remaining pressure. Open the Instant Pot and add 1 - 2 tsp salt to taste.
  • Pinto beans soaking in water.
    1
    Pick out the bad beans and any little stones from the dry beans. Wash really well in cold water. Put beans in at least a 4 qt bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and add water up to the top of the bowl. Let set overnight in a cool place (not in the fridge). In the morning, drain off the water and rinse beans well, (you can see that they have swollen at least twice the size that they were). Fill the bowl of beans back up with water till you are ready to cook them.
  • Slices of bacon cut into fourths.
    2
    When ready to cook, cut bacon slices in fourths.
  • Bacon, pinto beans, and water in a pressure cooker.
    3
    Place bacon, beans, and the water the beans are now in, in a 6 qt pressure cooker and add enough water to come up to 1 1/2 inches from the top.
  • Pressure cooker set to cook.
    4
    Place lid on pressure cooker and make sure its closed good. Put the cooker weight on. Turn burner on med/high heat. When the pressure gets built up the weight will start to jiggle. Turn down the burner to just above medium and start timer for 30 minutes.
  • Seasoning the cooked pinto beans.
    5
    After pressuring for 30 minutes take cooker off the burner and let cool enough to remove the weight and carefully open the cooker. Beans should be done and the juice creamy. Taste and add the other 1 teaspoon of salt if you want to! Leftovers are great to make refried beans with.
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