Beef & Beans

Cowboy supper that asks for almost no attention. Dried pinto beans soak overnight, chuck steak gets cubed and browned in rendered salt pork fat, and everything goes into the slow cooker with tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, and cumin.

The salt pork is the move. It melts down as it cooks, lacing the broth with smoky pork fat that no can of broth can copy. Brown both the salt pork and the chuck cubes hard before they hit the pot. That fond on the bottom of your skillet is flavor you don’t want to leave behind. Deglaze with a splash of the water from the recipe and scrape it into the cooker.

Keep the lid on for the first two hours on high. That gets the beans up to temperature fast and starts breaking down the chuck. After that, drop to low and walk away. The longer it sits, the more the beef shreds into the chili-spiced broth.

Pro Tips

• Cover the beans with water by two inches and soak at least 8 hours, or use the quick-soak boil-and-rest method if you forgot to plan ahead.
• Salt at the end, not the start. Salt added too early can keep the bean skins from softening properly.
• If the sauce looks thin near the end, lift the lid for the last 30 minutes to reduce.
• Leftovers improve the next day. Store in the fridge up to 4 days; reheat with a splash of water.

Variations

• Swap chuck for beef short ribs and pull the meat off the bones before serving.
• Use black beans for a darker, earthier pot.
• Stir in a chipotle in adobo for smoky heat without raising the chili powder.