Soupy beans are a staple at Mexican tables; the cooking liquid thickens slightly from the beans’ starches and the dish is as satisfying as any rich stew. One such iteration, known as drunken beans, cooks pinto beans in beer or tequila, which lends subtle, complex flavor to the pot. To make sure the alcohol didn’t make our beans boozy or bitter, we added tequila at the beginning of cooking (evaporating it to mellow its flavor) and beer partway through (so that its malty notes would be present in the finished dish). Brining the beans ensured they stayed tender, creamy, and intact. Sautéing onion, garlic, and poblano chiles in rendered bacon fat created a flavorful base, and we reserved the crisp bacon to sprinkle on at the end. Cilantro leaves are a classic garnish for drunken beans, and we decided to use the aromatic stems to add more flavor to the cooking liquid. A vigorous simmer to finish jostled the beans, causing them to release starches that gave the cooking liquid pleasant body. You’ll get fewer blowouts if you soak the beans overnight, but if you’re pressed for time, you can quick-salt-soak your beans: In step 1, bring the salt, water, and beans to a boil in the Dutch oven. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with step 2. Serve with rice.
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound (2½ cups) dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
- 30 sprigs fresh cilantro (1 bunch)
- 4 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup tequila
- ½ cup tequila
- 1 cup Mexican lager
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 limes, quartered
- 2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Add beans and let soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pick leaves from 20 cilantro sprigs (reserve stems), mince, and refrigerate until needed. Using kitchen twine, tie remaining 10 cilantro sprigs and reserved stems into bundle.
- Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined bowl and set aside. Add onion, poblanos, and garlic to fat left in pot and cook until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Off heat, add tequila and cook until evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in 3½ cups water, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, beans, and cilantro bundle and bring to boil over high heat. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until beans are just tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven. Discard bay leaves and cilantro bundle. Stir in beer and tomato paste and bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is thick and beans are fully tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve, passing minced cilantro, lime wedges, cotija, and reserved bacon separately.