FRC: I burned (not completely) 4 slices of bacon in my cast iron - suggestions?

C

colleenmomof2

Well-known member
I had the heat up too high and was doing too many things at once. Didn't move quickly enough smileys/frown.gif I hate to throw them out, parts are only lightly charred. Was thinking I could chop them up finely and use as a "smoky" addition but to what? I don't want to ruin something else using ruined bacon. Any ideas? Colleen

 
Thanks for your help! I'm going to incorporate what I can use into beans

I'm starting a pound of pinto beans to soak to make Borracho beans. Will have to decide whether to do Instant Pot or stovetop after the last fail in the IP. Colleen

 
smileys/wink.gif Soaked pintos overnight with that in mind - appreciate your encouragement

Was thinking beans were older than dated as others suggested last time I ended up tossing the pot so hope soaking will move the tenderizing along. Colleen

 
Instant Pot Borracho Beans - Yum

Beans are wonderful tasting. I used Instant Pot Manual High pressure for 45 minutes with a long natural release - over an hour. Still not satisfied with the tenderness of the beans. Next time, I think that I will cook 60 minutes and see if beans are overcooked. Probably will not add 1/2 cup of water next time. Colleen

Instant Pot Borracho Beans - what Colleen did (Mark's recipe below)
1 lb dried pinto beans
1 tablespoons bacon grease
2 strips thick-sliced bacon -- diced
1 jalapeño or other hot chiles (blackened poblanos) -- chopped (used jalapeño)
1 large onion -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced or pressed
1 bottle beer (12 ounces)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Penzey's Red and Green Bell Pepper flakes (didn't have 1/2 bell pepper to chop fine)
2 teaspoons dry Mexican oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried epazote
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (toast seeds then grind)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (toast seeds then grind)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
shake of Penzey's Red and Black (cayenne)
BEFORE SERVING:
1 tablespoon jalapeño pickle juice or more (or vinegar)
cilantro - freshly chopped

Rinse beans and soak overnight in water several inches over the beans in the pan. Drain, rinse beans. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté, Medium. Spray inner pot with oil. Fry diced bacon until just lightly browned. Add 1 tbs bacon fat, chiles, onion, and garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes). Add beans, beer, broth, water, tomatoes, spices; bring to a boil, stirring. Turn Instant Pot off, close cover, set pressure cook to Manual High for 45 minutes. At end of 45 minutes, turn pot off and leave to natural release (30-60 minutes). Open Instant Pot. Taste to see that beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in jalapeño pickle juice (or vinegar) and taste to see if more is needed. Top each portion with chopped cilantro. Serve over rice, Freezes well.

https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=79723

 
sorry 45 min didn't work for you

That is also the number I recommended in our recent bean discussion. Did you pre-soak? I just rinse mine without soaking and 45 minutes is perfect result in IP. As I recall, one of those links in our previous discussion showed how presoaking could actually result in a less tender exterior of the bean.

 
Really? Less tender with presoaking?

I wish I could remember what I did in January of 2018. From what I posted here, those Instant Pot beans came out perfect smileys/smile.gif At least this batch tastes amazing, even if beans have a bit of bite. Maybe better after reheating a couple of times. Or after freezing. It is possible that this bag of beans, while still within expiration date, is just a toughie. Colleen

 
beans can be tricky

I did Black Eyed Peas a couple days ago just rinse no pre-soak. I went with 10 min full pressure and manually released after about 10 min instead of waiting for natural. They were way over cooked. Very disappointing especially since some of the recipes I had called for longer pressure times. Mostly I do pinto beans which I get at Costco. They are good quality and I buy the big bag so it is pretty consistent. Costco and everywhere else is out of dry beans. I was only able to grab some small bags of black eyed peas and black beans at the $1 store so probably not great quality. I will look for that test that showed the best methods for beans.

 
I think there can be huge differences and with a PC cooking it may be better to err on

the side of less cooking, check and then finish, even on the stovetop. Back in the day when we just cooked them for 2-3 hours, we just checked. And it is possible the Instant Pot is a higher pressure than the PC i/we have used in the past.

 
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