Description
The basic technique for a simple pot of beans in the slow cooker - cheaper and much better tasting than canned, and they freeze well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried beans (black, pinto, kidney, or great northern), sorted and rinsed
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons lard (optional)
- 8 cups water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Sort the beans: Pour the beans onto the far side of a sheet pan, then rake them toward you a few at a time, picking out stones, twigs, or anything that looks wrong. Pour the beans into a colander, and rinse with cold water.
- Boil the beans: Put the beans in a pot, cover with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Don't skip this step - it destroys a natural toxin in kidney beans.
- Slow cook: Put the drained beans in the slow cooker with the 8 cups of water and the onion, garlic, bay leaf and lard. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Season: Remove the onion and bay leaf, and season the beans with salt to taste.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Equipment: A 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
Red and white kidney beans contain a natural toxin that's only destroyed by boiling (212°F) for 10 minutes, so always do the boil in step 2. More details: Slow Cookers and Red Kidney Bean Poisoning.
Double batch: Use 2 pounds of beans and 12 cups of water, with the rest of the ingredients the same. This just fits in a 6 1/2 quart slow cooker. Check the water after about 6 hours, and stir to make sure everything is submerged.
This works with navy beans, pink beans, and just about any bean of this size - but not with larger beans like limas.
Vegetarian: Skip the lard.
Pork: Replace the lard with a couple of slices of cooked bacon, a smoked ham hock, or a ham bone.
Mexican beans: Add a dried ancho chile, and replace the bay leaf with a couple of sprigs of cilantro, epazote, or dried avocado leaves.
Italian beans: Use great northern beans, and add a 2 inch sprig of fresh rosemary.
Many people say adding salt early makes beans tough. I'm not sure that's true, but I add the salt after cooking just in case.
These beans freeze really well. I freeze them in 3 quart containers; they make a great substitute for 2 cans of beans in recipes.
Ham and beans: Replace the lard with a ham steak. When the beans are done, dice the ham and stir it back in.
Beans and greens: After cooking, stir in a couple of large handfuls of chopped greens. Tender greens like spinach or chard are ready right away; give kale or collards another half hour. With great northern beans and the Italian flavors, you have Tuscan white beans.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours 15 minutes