refried beans?

[boomchakabowwow]

okay. last night I went to my first Quincenera. very entertaining and fun. the young lady was adorable and sweet. happy birthday to her.

I didnt eat much, except a metric ton of cucumbers salad. but I did taste the refried beans. I grew up in El Paso Texas, and I have eaten a lot of refried beans. but last night's spoonful was stellar. I can't remember a more delicious spoonful of this super humble side dish.

WTF?!! I asked around and the lady that made it was nowhere to be found. she made maybe five gallons of the stuff. it was savory and so smooth.

I got nothing. I don't even know where to begin. canned beans, dry beans, Rancho Gordo beans? nothing. googling it caused more confusion.

thoughts? where are my Abuelas? any tips, flat out secrets? recipes online you recommend?

 

[NickMinton]

I’m pretty sure that pork lard is gonna be your friend here

 

[McMan]

Someone once told me that the secret to refried beans is that they are... refried.
Cook a pot of beans (few garlic cloves and some oregano). Let it sit for a few days.
Fry the beans in some lard, mash with a masher, add bean liquor to control the texture. Let cool. Save the extra bean liquor. Puree (or not). Then, re-fry in lard to serve.

Refried beans are the end of a pot of beans not the start. So all that sitting for a few days helps intensify the flavors.

 

[aporigine]

I’m pretty sure that pork lard is gonna be your friend here

Carnitas lard is great for this.

I keep my carnitas lard separate so that with each use, it picks up more onion, garlic, orange and bay-leaf scents.

 

[M1k3]

Lard, onions, garlic, some kind of pepper (Jalapeno, Serrano, etc.) and some chorizo is good place to start.

 

[Michi]

Someone once told me that the secret to refried beans is that they are... refried.

Apparently, the "re" in "refried" does not mean they are fried twice. It just means "well fried".

I've been happy with Chef John's recipe for refried beans.

 

[ch_br]

I’m pretty sure that pork lard is gonna be your friend here

To be specific on quantity of pork lard its:
(1) metric $h*t-ton

If you think you have anough lard in the recipe, probably add at least 50% more.

 

[More_Gyutos]

Yeah, lots of lard and fry them hard. I don’t know why but it makes them taste so much better. I have made more refried beans than I could ever eat and those two factors are the most important in my tasting and learning over time.

 

[NickMinton]

This reminds me of when I made homemade tamales for the first time

1. I used quite a bit of lard
2. The were effin’ delicious
3. I gained weight

 

[Simply]

Sauté onions in oil/butter/lard
Add garlic
Add spices (will have to ask the wife), cook spices
Butter/lard
Add drained beans at med high heat
Butter/lard
Cook/fry/mash/puree/salt/eat em

Maybe there’s some chicken stock toward the end too? Either way it makes great beans and easy entry

 

[MrHiggins]

As a New Mexican, I fancy myself a refried beans afficianado. I'm so lucky that right down the street from me are some local pig farmers who sell great lard. Lard is most certainly the key, everything else is negotiable, even the type of bean (I use a lot of different types besides pinto, but pinto are awesome, too).

I’m pretty sure that pork lard is gonna be your friend here