Side Dishes
Santa Maria Pinquito Beans
The beans they cook in Santa Maria are a lot different from the baked beans that most Americans associate with barbecues. For starters, they’re made with the unique small, pinkish red pinquito bean, which has a rich, earthy flavor (this bean may attest to the Mexican heritage of many of Santa Maria’s first farm hands). And Santa Maria beans are a lot less sweet than the baked beans served in Kansas City or the South—the result of using tomato and chile sauce instead of ketchup and keeping the sugar to a minimum. If you don’t live in the area, you’ll have to order pinquito beans online; they grow only in the Santa Maria Valley.
Santa Maria Pinquito Beans Recipe
Santa Maria Pinquito Beans
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 4 to 12 hours for soaking the beans
- Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinquito beans or small kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch slivers
- 2 ounces cooked ham, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 3/4 cup tomato purée
- 1/4 cup red chile sauce (see Note)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe Steps
1: Spread the beans out on a rimmed baking sheet and pick through them, discarding any foreign matter, such as pebbles or twigs. Place the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold running water; then place them in a large bowl and add water to cover by 4 inches. Let the beans soak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
2: Drain the soaked beans in a colander and place them in a large pot. Add water to cover by 4 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. Let the beans simmer until very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. When done you should be able to crush a bean between your thumb and forefinger. Pour off most of the cooking liquid, reserving 1-1/2 cups
3: Melt the butter in a nonreactive skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and ham and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, chile sauce, brown sugar, mustard, cumin, oregano, and about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let the bacon and tomato mixture simmer until richly flavored, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
4: Stir the bacon and tomato mixture into the beans. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer until thick, rich, and flavorful, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent scorching. Add enough bean cooking liquid to keep
the beans moist but not quite soupy. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper as necessary.
Recipe Tips
The preferred brand of red chile sauce in these parts is Las Palmas, but you can use any commercial taco sauce.
