Black Beans with Bacon and Tequila

Bacon gives these beans a subtle smokiness, and chipotle chilies add both smoke and spice. If you decide to use the optional tequila, save your top-shelf bottle for sipping; any inexpensive tequila worked well here. Offer the beans as a side to any Tex-Mex or Mexican-style main, or use them as a ﬁlling in tacos and burritos. Or make a light meal out of them by serving with rice, sour cream and salsa. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days; when reheating, thin with broth or water to the desired consistency.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Side Dish

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

1-2 hours

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté, Slow Cook

Keywords

1-2 hours, 6 servings, bacon, chipotle chilies in adobo, Chistopher Kimball, chopped fresh cilantro, contributed, dried black beans, ground cumin, instant pot beans, instant pot recipes, kosher salt and ground black pepper, large yellow onion, lime juice, low-sodium chicken broth, medium, medium garlic cloves, modern, packed brown sugar, pressure cook, sauté, side dish, slow cook, tequila

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion
10 medium garlic cloves
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 chipotle chilies in adobo
1/4 cup tequila
1 1/4 qt low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups dried black beans
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

START: On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and set aside. Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the minced chipotle chilies and the tequila (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, beans and 1 teaspoon salt.
Fast: Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 35 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 20 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.

--OR--

Slow: With the pot still on More/High Sauté, bring the mixture to a boil. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting. Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to Less/Low. Set the cooking time for 7 to 8 hours; the beans are done when they are fully tender. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
FINISH: Select Normal/Medium Sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the adobo sauce, lime juice, sugar and reserved bacon. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and with lime wedges on the side.

Notes

Don’t soak the black beans. In the Instant Pot, the unsoaked beans were plump and tender after only 35 minutes of pressure cooking and after 7 to 8 hours of slow cooking. Soaked beans will end up overdone if cooked for the same amount of time.

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