Drunken Beans

Name: Drunken Beans
Yield: Serves 6 as a main dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: , Salt; 1 pound (2 1/2 cups), dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed; 30 sprigs fresh, cilantro (1 bunch); 4 slices, bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 , onion, chopped fine; 2 , poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine; 3 , garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 cup, tequila; 2 , bay leaves; 1 cup, Mexican lager; 1/4 cup, tomato paste; 2 , limes, quartered; 2 ounces, Cotija cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2015, America's Test Kitchen TV

Cooking beans with beer and bacon can deliver results as full-flavored and satisfying as a rich stew—or it can lead to a pot of bitter, boozy beans.

SERVES6 as a main dish

TIME2 hours

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

To give our Drunken Beans a rich, complex flavor without imparting booziness or bitterness, we used a mixture of beer and tequila. To ensure creamy, intact beans, we brined them overnight, cooked them gently in the oven, and held back the a...

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