Charros Recipe — Charro Beans (Frijoles Charros)

A hearty Mexican charro bean soup that is perfect for any day of the year.

Ingredients

• 4 hocks smoked ham hocks
• 1 white onion
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into chunks
• ½ pound fresh chorizo sausage
• 2 medium whole (2-3/5" dia) (blank)s tomatoes, chopped
• 2 each jalapeno peppers, sliced
• 5 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, undrained
• 4 cups water as needed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 pinch salt to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Place ham hocks into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Boil until meat pulls back on bone, about 2 hours. Remove meat from bones, cut into bite-sized chunks. Reserve the bones but discard any fat.
2. Chop 1/2 of the white onion, and leave other 1/2 whole; set aside.
3. Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels, and chop when cool enough to handle. Pour bacon grease into a small bowl.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Place chorizo into a bowl with chopped bacon, tomatoes, chopped onion, and jalapenos.
5. Place ham chunks and bones into a large pot, pour pinto beans over top. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium or medium-high heat.
6. Meanwhile, heat bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo and vegetable mixture and saute until vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
7. When beans boil, add the remaining onion half and garlic. Let boil for 3 to 4 minutes; add sauteed vegetables and meat. Return to a boil; add cilantro and chicken bouillon. Continue to boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove bones, season with salt, and serve.

Nutrition Facts

• calories583.1
• carbohydrateContent33.3 g
• cholesterolContent95.5 mg
• fatContent34.2 g
• fiberContent9.5 g
• proteinContent34.9 g
• saturatedFatContent11.8 g
• sodiumContent1113.2 mg
• sugarContent2.6 g