Instant Pot Santa Maria Pinquito Beansย recipe. A taste of Santa Maria, ready in about an hour in the pressure cooker.
My wife knows me. What did she get me on a trip to San Fransisco? Beans. Not just any beans -ย pinquito beansย fromย Rancho Gordo at the Ferry Market. I have wanted to try these beans for years; they are an essential side dish for California's Santa Maria Tri-Tip Barbecue, but I've never found them locally.
Enterย Rancho Gordo, the internet's gourmet bean source. However, instead of ordering them online, my wife bought them at the source and flew them home to Ohio.
Now, to ensure I had the recipe right, I needed more than one bag of beansโฆso I ordered a few more online. Plus someย black beans,ย small red beans, andย pinto beans. Hey, I need them for research.
The pinquito beans were worth the extra effort - they're smaller and meatier than pinto beans. I know, I know, that description doesn't help much. Trust me - they taste fantastic and are worth seeking out. I can see why they're such a hit in Santa Maria.
I used my bean secret weapon - an Instant Pot pressure cooker - to cook them in about an hour. Ready for a brothy bowl of Santa Maria-style pinquito beans, perfect to serve withย Santa Maria Tri-Tip? Here they are.
๐ฅซIngredients
- 4 ounces bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pound dry Santa Maria Pinquito Beans, sorted and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 cups water
- 8-ounce can Tomato Sauce
How to make Instant Pot Santa Maria Pinquito Beans
Brown the bacon
Spread the bacon out in the bottom of an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then set it for Sautรฉ mode - Medium (use medium-low heat with a stovetop pressure cooker). Cook the bacon, stirring often, until the bacon is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Sautรฉ the aromatics in the bacon fat
Stir the onion and garlic into the bacon in the pressure cooker pot, and sprinkle with the ยฝ teaspoon of salt. Sautรฉ until the onion softens, about five minutes.
Everything in the pot
Add the sorted and rinsed pinquito beans to the pot, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, the mustard powder, and the baking soda. Stir in the water, and then stir in the tomatoes.
Pressure cook the beans for 35 minutes with a Natural Release
Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 30 minutes in a stovetop PC. (On the Instant Pot, use the Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom setting, and set the cooking time to 35 minutes.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes more. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you are in a hurry.) Remove the lid, tilting it away to avoid hot steam.
Serve
Serve the beans, passing hot sauce at the table if you want an extra kick of heat.
๐ฅ Substitutions
Want a vegetarian version? Replace the bacon with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil so there's some fat to sautรฉ the onion.
Don't have bacon? You can substitute ham or a smoked ham hock.
Pinquito beans are also called small pink beans. Can't find pinquito beans? Use pinto beans or navy beans. Both cook in about the same amount of time as the pinquito beans and though they have different flavors, they work well with this recipe.
๐ Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert and why I love my Instant Pot so much. Try them - you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make-ahead freezer beans.)
๐Scaling
This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.
Sorting Beans
Beans are an agricultural product, and stuff tends to creep in when processed. Beans should always be sorted and rinsed before use to remove twigs, stones, clumps of dirt, or broken beans.
To sort the beans, I pour them out on one side of a rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan) to keep the beans from escaping. Then I slowly run my fingers through the pile of beans, pulling them towards me on the sheet. I watch the beans as they move, looking for anything that doesn't seem right. If I see something, I poke around in the beans until I find what caught my eye and discard it. I repeat this several times until I'm satisfied everything is out of the beans.
Then, I dump the beans into a fine mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water to wash off any dirt or dust still on them.
Now, the beans are sorted, rinsed, and ready for soaking or cooking.
๐คจ Soaking Santa Maria pinquito beans?
I always get the "to soak, or not to soak?" question. I don't soak my Santa Maria pinquito beans. They don't need an overnight soak and cook to tenderness in 35 minutes at high pressure.
That doesn't mean you can't soak the beans. They turn out fine, though the bean broth isn't quite as full-bodied. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 12 minutes at high pressure. I use that when cooking the beans with other ingredients, where the shorter cooking time keeps me from overcooking the whole dish to get the beans tender.
๐กTips and Tricks
- Salt your bean water! "Salt toughens beans" is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
- Acid does make beans tough, though, and tomatoes are acidic. So, to balance out the acid in the tomatoes, I add Baking soda. (Remember Chemistry class? Baking soda is a base, counteracting the acid in the tomatoes).
- If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any "floaters" at the top of the pot, stir the beans, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting on the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra time.
- Simmer to thicken: If you have the time and want thicker bean liquid, simmer the beans for 20 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sautรฉ mode, adjusted it to low, set the timer to 20 minutes, and left the lid off to let the broth evaporate.
โ๏ธ Storing Leftover Beans
Aย 2-cup containerย of beans, with cooking liquid, replaces a 15-ounce can of beans from the grocery store. They'll last in the refrigerator for a few days and freeze for up to 6 months. I always make extra beans and freeze the leftovers for use in other recipes. Freezer beans are ready to use with about 5 minutes in the microwave and areย soย much better than canned.
PrintInstant Pot Santa Maria Pinquito Beans Recipe
- Total Time: 27 minute
- Yield: 6 cups beans 1x
Description
Instant Pot Santa Maria Pinquito Beans. A taste of Santa Maria, ready in about an hour in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pound dry Santa Maria Pinquito Beans, sorted and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 cups water
- 8-ounce can Tomato Sauce
Instructions
- Brown the bacon: Spread the bacon out in the bottom of an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then set it for Sautรฉ mode - Medium (use medium-low heat with a stovetop pressure cooker). Cook the bacon, stirring often, until the bacon is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Sautรฉ the aromatics in the bacon fat: Stir the onion and garlic into the bacon in the pressure cooker pot, and sprinkle with the ยฝ teaspoon of salt. Sautรฉ until the onion softens, about five minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Add the sorted and rinsed pinquito beans to the pot, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, the mustard powder, and the baking soda. Stir in the water, and then stir in the tomatoes.
- Pressure cook the beans for 35 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 30 minutes in a stovetop PC. (On the Instant Pot, use the Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom setting, and set the cooking time to 35 minutes.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes more. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you are in a hurry.) Remove the lid, tilting it away to avoid hot steam. Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
This recipe fits in a 6-quart pressure cooker. (I love my 6 quart Instant Pot - though if you pay close attention to the video, youโll notice that I use a Fagor Lux that I was testing.)
Thickening the beans: If you want to thicken up the bean broth, scoop 2 cups of cooked beans and cooking liquid out of the cooker and puree them, then stir the pureed beans back into the pot. I put them in a quart measuring cup and use my stick blender.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
๐ค Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Refried Pinto Beans - Dad Cooks Dinner
Pressure Cooker Senate Bean Soup - Dad Cooks Dinner
Pressure Cooker Lentil and Bacon Soup - Dad Cooks Dinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Trisha
Thanks for this recipe, which came out tasty. I used turkey bacon, which needed some additional oil to cook the onions. I let it burble away for a while on sautรฉ/low to cook those floaters and to try to reduce the bean broth.
Jamie
Phenomenal recipe! I am vegan, so I substituted some liquid smoke for the bacon. Came out amazing. Thank you so much!
Mike Vrobel
Youโre welcome!
Janet Goff
Great recipe Mike! I served these with rice and a dollop of guacamole on top. ๐
Mike Vrobel
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Stephanie
This is my go-to recipe and I live in Santa Maria where these beans are a staple of every bbq.
Mike Vrobel
Thank you!
Janet Goff
I think Rancho Gordo beans are well worth the extra price. I love this recipe Mike, I'm a fan of pinquitos. Thanks again for another great recipe!
Howard
You've got me hooked on Rancho Gordo beans. So good.
If I soak/brine these pinquito beans overnight, would the pressure cooker time be about 15 minutes like pinto beans?
Tanya
Interesting recipe! I found it while doing a search for recipes that I could cook in my new Instant Pot. I'm a Santa Maria native and am used to the pinquito recipes that do not have any tomato sauce or mustard in them, although your recipe sounds very good! The recipe I use calls for some diced green chilies instead. I mostly use the Jocko's Steakhouse Restaurant (Nipomo, CA) or Shaw's Steakhouse (Santa Maria, CA) recipes (I think you can find them online). Also, if you are having trouble finding the pinquito beans, Lompoc Valley Seed & Milling is an excellent option! They have many other bean varieties as well.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner
Thanks!
Jennie
Would this work with regular pintos? I, alas, have no pinquitos at the moment, but I'm going to order some ASAP! However, I do have diced bacon in need of a pot of beans.
Mike Vrobel
Yes, it will work with pinto beans.
Chad
I love your website, youtube channel and recipes! Thanks!
Mike Vrobel
Thank you!
ebacklund
Love Rancho Gordo! I've been a member of their bean club for about 2 years now, and always look forward to my quarterly box of beans.
Mike Vrobel
I just signed up for the Bean Club - I'm a Rancho Gordo convert now.
Astra
Yes, be warned: Rancho Gordo is hugely addictive. Our favorites so far are the piquinto and the Royal Corona (although I made the Rio Zape beans this week and they had the best bean broth I have ever tasted).
Jennifer Gibbons
The Good Mother Stallards are really good, I agree, but you need to try the Rio Zapes (super meaty tasting) and the Yellow Indian Woman (ridiculously creamy).
Mike Vrobel
Adding to my list!
Razzy 7
Glad to hear you're trying beans from Rancho Gordo. Love, love, love their beans and I love that they are heirloom beans. They're always fresh because when a season's beans are sold out, that's it. No more until the next season's beans are available. I love too that they have bean varieties I've never heard of. A favorite variety I'd recommend to you is Good Mother Stallard beans.
Mike Vrobel
Thanks for the tip - I will check out the Good Mother Stallard beans.