This sounds like a good method. I have tried many depending on time and who will be eating. It doesn't matter if you are from the South as I am or any other region.The south may have some differences also - Texans may use beef bones for flavor, whereas other areas may use pork or poultry products. I was taught to soak beans several hours and the "quick" soak method. However, I like the overnight slow cooking in an old metal dutch oven I've used over the years. Due to health issues, I use poultry parts, or broth, and seasonings. I must admit that sometimes I really do want the ham hocks or bacon,- fat is good - tastewise! In closing, thanks to those commentors who explained beans and the gas issue. During my childhood, some people loved singing that bean song. . .beans, beans, good for your heart . . .

I just want to thank everybody about the receipts. Really good ingredients to try with beans. I will try them all! Thank you! Thank you!

Our southern cooking style: pre-soak for digestibility and shorter cooking time. Start beans in a pot of cold water. (Never boiling water which causes the skins to slip off the beans.) Add ham hock and other seasonings to taste and cook the beans down to very little water, then add boiling water back to the pot and finish cooking. The cook-down makes the best bean gravy.

Totally agree with you.

Everyone has their own great way to cook pintos. I wash, discard bad ones, add to my boiling water with cured side meat, then turn down burner cooking slow. I also add enough water that I want have to constantly be adding during cooking. Right when they get done, I turn back up bringing to a full boil, adding my salt. Beans are nice color, plenty of thick juice... Salt sometimes if added earlier on can make some beans hard and humid weather also effects the cooking time making it longer....

I will disagree with Barb, this is the proper way to prepare the beans if this is the way you like them and I love them like this. I too am from the south and I never saw my Mom or grandmothers pre-soak the beans, pinto or "white". Just wash and sort through them, put them in a pot to boil and the simmer most of the day. Put in the fatback or jowl or ham, salt and keep checking on the water level as they cook. You can add tomatoes or Rotel it you want and onions too. But I'm a purist, I just want the beans seasoned with the meat. You decide what's the proper way for you to prepare these beans.

Born and raised in Texas and after cleaning & washing our beans, we never soaked them but added water, fatback, garlic, onions or onion powder and brought to a boil, then lowered heat to simmer till done. Depending on what we were using them for, other spices and ingredients would also be used, but we were talking about cooking pinto beans. My favorite was all the above and adding cumin and chili powder, not to overwhelm, but to enhance the flavor.

If you want to kick this up to "Mountain" style, cook until tender, reduce heat, add 1 lg. chopped onion, 1 green pepper-chopped, 1/2 lb. bacon, diced, browned then drained, 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. mustard, 1/2 tsp. hot sauce or to taste - and 2 tsp. Worcestershire... you will NOT believe what these added ingredients can turn a simple pot of beans into... fantastic - served with corn bread... if you do this one time with a pot of beans - you will ALWAYS do this... you could do a ham hock in place of the bacon. YUMMMMM!!!!

When you dont have time to watch a pot on the stove, try adding 4 cups of washed/rinsed pintos in a crock pot, (standard size ) a tsp of salt. and 1 or two smoked ham hocks. Fill the pot with water, cover and cook on high for about 6 to 8 hours.. Take out ham hock and debone and return to beans.

I like to cook pepper crusted bacon and add it to the beans in the beginning. Plus, I like my food spicy, so I add jalapenos, onion and fresh garlic. Received many compliments.

My MIL, born and raised in AR, 5 star cook, always soaked beans. This recipe is good, but I like soaked better.

This is not the proper way to cook pinto beans. I am from the deep south. You pick them and then soak them. You use meat i.e. (neck bones, turkey tails, ham hock or even pig feet or steak), also black pepper, a tad bit of sugar and of course salt. You cook them kind of slow and you watch them from time-to-time in case they need water or you can cook them in a crock pot even.

Yes! This is awesome... I cooked the ground meat, onions, brown sugar, soy sauce, and chives together and dumbed it in the beans during last 30 minutes (that mixture goes well with potato salad as well).

Another great addition during cooking is a hamhock. If you don't have the time to stay home during the cooking process you can place them in a crock-pot and increase the cooking time for up to 8 hours. I have been doing this method for years.

Try adding a can of Rotel to the recipe and 3-4 strips of hickory bacon instead of oil.

Yes. the beans will cook this way, but the gas does come from the complex carbs in the beans. in the initial soak, many of the indigestible carbs leech out. Discarding this first water make the beans easier to digest because those carbs are discarded. Pre-soaking is an important step for good healthy beans. Studies show that very little of the nutrients are lost using this method. IMO it's a good trade off.

I cooked these beans just like it said and they are WONDERFUL. As a rule I don't eat pinto beans but my husband loves them but these I loved. We did enjoy!!

This is great - love the soupy consistency, I added a can of diced tomatoes to mine but left out the oil and added a pack of Goya ham flavored concentrate plus a clove of garlic cut up. Yummy Yummy