Pinto Beans

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) bag dried pinto beans (or mixed beans)
• 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
• 4 ounces pork (cured side meat)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)

Directions

1. 1

   First look through beans and remove any debris sometimes found in them. Then rinse well. Put in a pot and cover with water and soak overnight-Or you can do a quick soak by bringing them to a boil and immediately turning off and let sit for 2 hours.

2. 2

   Rinse side meat and slice into chunks.

3. 3

   Now there are two ways to go from here- You can cook them on stove top or in a crock pot- I prefer the crock pot because they have a better flavor.

4. 4

   Stove Top Method - Pour water off beans after soaking and add fresh water - enough to cover them completely. Add side meat, salt, and pepper.

5. 5

   Bring to boil and then lower heat to simmer for app 2-3 hours stirring occasionally -Until the beans are as soft as you want them.

6. 6

   Crock Pot Method- Pour water off beans after soaking and add beans to crock pot. Cover with fresh water and add salt, pepper and side meat. Cook on high about 1 hour then lower to low and cook about 6 hours - until beans are as soft as you want them.

7. 7

   Serve with cornbread and chopped onions-MMMM MMMM Good!