Drunken Mexican Beans with Cilantro and Bacon

Here is a delicious bean dish I absolutely adore. It's from Rick Bayless.  I have all his cookbooks. I love how he makes authentic Mexican food so accessible. Don't get me wrong, I love gringo style Mexican food a ton, but sometimes I crave the real deal. Whenever I want the real thing, I immediately start scanning my Rick Bayless collection of cookbooks!  They're filled with things I can't wait to try. This time I served these yummy beans with some unbelievable pork tacos that I can't wait to share with you. Next time you are serving Mexican food, give these beans a try. They're a delicious alternative to refried beans and they're flavored with some extra fabulous ingredients. I mean tequila and bacon. These aint no canned beans baby.  I'm just sayin...Pin It

Drunken Mexican Beans with Cilantro and Bacon

from Rick Bayless

Ingredients:

8 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) dry pinto beans
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) cubed pork shoulder (or extra chopped bacon)
4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small white onion, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt, about 2-2 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 tablespoons tequila (plus a little more if you like-okay I like)
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro


Instructions:
1. Rinse the beans thoroughly and scoop into a medium-size Dutch oven. Add 5 cups water, remove any beans that float, then add the pork shoulder (or extra chopped bacon) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and very gently simmer, partially covered, until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours. You'll need to gently stir the beans regularly and add water as necessary to keep the liquid a generous 1/2 inch above the level of the beans.
2. In a medium-size skillet, fry the bacon (that is, the remaining bacon if you used some for the simmering), stirring regularly, until crisp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon, leaving behind as much of the drippings as possible. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings and return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion and chiles and fry until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the onion mixture into the beans, then taste and season it all with salt. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors. If the beans seem quite soupy, boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the consistency of a nice, brothy bean soup. (An alternative here is to puree 1/4 of the beans in a food processor or blender, returning them to the pot to thicken the broth.)
3. Just before serving, stir in the tequila and cilantro, then serve in warm bowls topped with the crumbled bacon.