Recipe for cowboy beans, with dried chilie peppers, bacon and beef stock

My Cowboy Beans recipe will make you feel like you're eating under the stars, next to a campfire, surrounded by a bunch of cowboys. These beans are the type that are served in many small taquerias in northern Mexico, and the United States southwest, and they will serve as a side dish for just about meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Special tools: Stock pot; I use an 8-quart cast iron pot, blender, potato masher
Preparation time: About 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes soaking time for the chilie peppers
Cooking time: 30 minutes or longer, depending on cooking temperature
Yield: 6 generous servings, or 8 regular servings

1 pot of Frijoles de Olla, or two, 30-oz cans of canned pinto beans
4 pieces bacon, about 1/4 pound, finely chopped
2 green jalapeno peppers, diced, seeded with stem and veins removed
1 large white onion; other varieties can be substituted
4 cloves garlic, skins and ends removed, halved
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground oregano
4 to 6 dried poblano or Anaheim chilie peppers, seeds, veins and stem removed
1 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke, any brand
1 cup beef stock, preferably homemade, chicken stock can be substituted

Shred dried chilies into small pieces. Add shredded chilies to beef stock, heat in microwave on high setting until very hot, set aside to soak for 20 minutes.

While chilies are soaking, cut bacon, including fat, into tiny pieces and brown in pot until limp. Remove and set aside in a mixing bowl. Leave bacon drippings in the pot.

Dice the jalapeno peppers and onion. Add to the bowl that contains the bacon.

Add halved garlic to bowl that contains peppers soaking in beef stock. Whirl the dried peppers, garlic and beef stock in a blender until the chilies are liquefied. Remove from blender and add the liquid smoke, cumin and oregano to mixture.

In the pot, mash about 1/4 of the beans to a paste, then add the rest of the beans. If you're using canned beans, add the liquid. Add the beef stock mixture to the pot. Heat beans to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add all ingredients from previous steps to the beans. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until ingredients are well blended.

The consistency should not be runny like soup, but should be similar to pancake batter. This recipe freezes very well, and if properly stored, will keep for months in a freezer. After freezing or refrigerating, you may have to add additional water or stock, as the beans continue to absorb the liquid.

For a very different flavor, beef chorizo, sausage, linguica, etc. can be substituted for the bacon. With that said, I prefer bacon, as it adds a nice, smoky flavor to the beans. I have even thrown in smoked beef and beef scraps, after I've smoked some beef on my smoker. Every time I make these beans, they come out a little different. Feel free to substitute ingredients as you choose, as you can't go wrong with these beans.

I always add the vegetables into the pot after the mixture is heated, as I like the veggies to have a bit of "crunch" left in them.

Cooking time is not critical, as long as there's sufficient liquid and the pot is stirred often. In Mexico, the attitude for these beans is No hay una cosa como un fuego baja, which translates to something like: "There is no such thing like a low fire."

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