Canned beans are inexpensive; dried beans are dirt cheap! Here is an easy recipe for making your own flavorful black beans, which can be portioned and frozen in their own cooking liquid. Using a crock pot takes the stovetop-monitoring out of your day. Epazote is a traditional Mexican herb that lends a grassy, strong flavor to these hearty black beans. If you like cilantro, you’ll likely enjoy epazote. You can find it in Latino markets or specialty shops.
1 1-lb bag dried black beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried epazote (optional)
1 slice bacon and drippings, cooked but not crisp (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
An Oldways recipe
Sam Stauffer says: Could I use chicken stock instead of water? More favorable? Thanks
Hannah-Oldways says: That sounds delicious!
Chaz says: 1 kg of cleaned black beans, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, in crock with 4 liters of hot water on high for 4 hours, cool and freeze in half liter batches, next week Mayocoba same recipe, over the years i discovered no soaking is necessary and salt added at beginning of process has no ill affect, be sure to hand clean beans as this last batch had bean size stones and dirt lumps, very hard on the teeth
Sheryl says: I just added the sliced onion, salt and a spice blend (cumin/paprika/chili powder etc). Cooked on low for 5 hours, high on 1 hour. They came out perfect! Thank you.
Drake says: About to try this right now for a meatless Monday dinner with my girlfriend.
mmoore says: Awesome! Let us know how it turns out.
Jeannine Patterson says: Looks delicious! I am going to try this tomorrow.
Cynthia says: Come back and tell us how it worked out, Jeannine!
Amy Luce says: This recipe could not have been easier! I did not have epazote, and I don’t like bay leaf, so I just put some onion powder and a slice of bacon in the crock pot. My beans were cooked perfectly in 6 hours.
Debbie says: This recipe worked even with the salt added at the beginning? I always read that salt will keep then from getting soft and it should be added at the end once the beans are finished.
Cynthia says: “Don’t salt beans until the end” has been kitchen wisdom (myth?) for many of us, but science disproves this. Cooks Illustrated — an organization that checks out the science of all kinds of cooking issues — even recommends brining beans before cooking (https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5803-salty-soak-for-beans). But we wouldn’t go that far, because even with rinsing you might end up with more sodium in the finished dish than you want. The Bottom Line: use a little salt, and don’t worry about when you put it in.
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