Santa Maria Beans

Santa Maria beans are the essential sidekick to California Central Coast barbecue. You can’t serve tri-tip on the Central Coast without a pot of these pinquito-style beans simmering alongside, and this recipe nails the traditional profile.

Pinto beans soak overnight, then simmer for two hours until completely tender. Meanwhile, diced bacon and ham get browned together, building a smoky, porky base. Garlic goes in next, followed by tomato puree, red chile sauce, dry mustard, and a little sugar. That sauce gets stirred into the drained beans and everything holds warm together until serving.

The sauce is tangy and slightly sweet with a back-end kick from the chile sauce. It coats the beans without making them soupy.

Kitchen Tips

• Soak the beans a full 8-12 hours. Shortcuts like quick-soaking give uneven results with some beans still firm.
• Simmer gently, not at a hard boil. Aggressive boiling blows out the skins and turns the beans to mush.
• The beans improve as they sit. Making them a few hours early and keeping them in a low oven lets the flavors deepen.
• Drain most but not all of the cooking liquid before adding the sauce. You want saucy, not swimming.

Variations

• Use pinquito beans if you can find them for the most authentic Santa Maria experience.
• Add a diced jalapeño to the sauce for more heat.
• Skip the bacon and ham for a vegetarian version. Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to compensate for the lost smokiness.