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Restaurant Style Refried Beans

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I've always had a weakness for Mexican food and no meal would be complete without those creamy refried beans. You could give me a pot of the stuff with some fresh tortilla chips for dipping and I could pass on the rest of the meal!

If your familiar with bean cookery, refried beans just require one easy step after they are cooked soft: mash and add some butter and salt. If you've never tried your hand at dry beans the whole process is very simple and can be a base for a million other dishes (homemade BBQ baked beans for instance, but that's another day).

Despite making these a few times and enjoying them far more than anything out of a can I never could make them right. Something was missing that the restaurants were hiding from me. I still yearned for that savory, creamy taste that I couldn't put a finger on. After trying to add more liquid, more butter, more salt, nothing tasted quite the same.

The answer? Your not going to like it.....it's bacon drippings (or lard). I believe lard is the classic choice but bacon drippings add a nice smokiness (and its hard to find non-hydrogenated lard at the store). I wasn't so sure at first but when I tried it I had that Eureka! moment. That's what definitely does the trick!

Here is the simple recipe:

2 cups Dried Pinto Beans
1/2 of a medium Onion
Bacon Drippings
Salt
Seasonings (cumin, chili powder, etc.)

Simply take the beans and cover them with water in a bowl and soak for 8-12 hours. Afterwords put the beans in a pot and cover with fresh water with about 2 teaspoons of salt. Simmer on low for about an hour or until soft.

In a separate pan melt about a tablespoon of bacon drippings and gently saute the onion. In about 5 min add the beans and mash with a potato masher. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid until you get the texture you like (the mixture should be pretty loose). Add any seasons you like (although I believe just salt is traditional). Feel free to omit the onions as well.

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