dried black beans

This classic recipe is adapted from “Tastes Like Cuba,” by Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich. The secret is the homemade sofrito, but bottled will do in a pinch.

Cuban Black Beans

green peppers, stemmed and seeded

garlic

black beans,

ham hock

bay leaves

salt,

olive oil

bacon,

Spanish onion, diced

jalapeño,

oregano

cumin

black pepper

white vinegar

turbinado or other brown sugar

Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.

Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.

When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.

Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.

How to cook dried black beans with a soaking and simmering method.

How to Cook Dried Black Beans

beans

herbs

Place beans in a large bowl and add enough cool water to cover by 1-2 inches. Soak overnight, 8-12 hours.

Drain beans, transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with fresh, cool water by 1-2 inches. Add bay leaves, a handful of herbs (cilantro or parsley, if you're making Gallo Pinto), and a few garlic cloves.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until beans are tender throughout. This will take 1-2 hours, depending on size and age of beans.

Add a few pinches of salt to the water when beans are just starting to get tender (adding salt too soon will add to the cooking time). Cool and store beans in their cooking liquid, discarding any aromatics you've added.

Cook dried black beans in less than half the time with an Instant Pot. These black beans are rich and full of flavor and they are the perfect side dish to any meal.

Instant Pot Black Beans (video)

vegetable oil

yellow onion, diced

red bell pepper, diced

broth (vegetable

dry black beans

cumin powder

salt

Rinse the dried beans and pick out any...

Rinse the dried beans and pick out any pebbles if you find them. 

Set the Instant Pot to ‘saute’ and add...

Set the Instant Pot to ‘saute’ and add the vegetable oil. 

When the oil is hot, add the onion...

When the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper and saute until soft. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. 

Add the broth and deglaze the pot (scrape...

Add the broth and deglaze the pot (scrape off the brown bits of onion on the bottom of the pot). 

Add the black beans, bay leaves, salt, and...

Add the black beans, bay leaves, salt, and cumin then seal the lid. 

Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally, about...

Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Remove the bay leaves, taste the beans and...

Remove the bay leaves, taste the beans and add more seasoning if needed.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/bdhpqnohbrb8w7ps2glj.mp4

Instant pot black beans cook in half the time and have a rich, full flavor. These black beans make a great side dish that goes with any meal.

Top 3 dried black beans recipes from across the web

The most viewed dried black beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Cuban Black Beans

How to Cook Dried Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans (video)

Top 3 dried black beans recipes from across the web

The most viewed dried black beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Cuban Black Beans

How to Cook Dried Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans (video)

The most viewed dried black beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine