Mexican · Norteño · side

Frijoles Charros Norteños

Name: Frijoles Charros Norteños
Prep time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: Mexican · Norteño
Ingredients: pinto beans — 500 g; water — 3000 g; bacon — 200 g; chorizo — 200 g; ham cooked — 150 g; white onion — 200 g; garlic — 15 g; tomatoes — 500 g; serrano chiles — 400 g; beer — 330 g; cilantro — 30 g; salt — 10 g

Frijoles Charros Norteños reads umami 8.0, richness 6.4 and salinity 5.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Norteño side, about 3 hr. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 4.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.0 · Richness 6.4 · Salinity 5.8 · Heat 3.6 · Allium 3.6 · Smoke 3.3 · Herbaceous 3.1 · Sweetness 2.6 · Earthy 2.5 · Bitterness 2.4 · Sourness 2.2 · Fruity 2.0 · Funk & Ferment 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.1 · Nutty 1.0 · Citrus 0.9 · Floral 0.8

What's in it (12)

pinto beans — 500 g
water — 3000 g
bacon — 200 g
chorizo — 200 g
ham cooked — 150 g
white onion — 200 g
garlic — 15 g
tomatoes — 500 g
serrano chiles — 400 g
beer — 330 g
cilantro — 30 g
salt — 10 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 29.9 kcal, 1.8 g protein, 0.9 g fat, 3.3 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

These are the beans of the ranch kitchen and they are brothy on purpose — served in a cup alongside grilled meat, not spooned like a stew.
Simmer the beans in the water, unsalted, for about 2 hours until the skins are soft and slip when you blow on a spoonful. Salting early leaves the skins tough.
Render the bacon over medium heat 8 minutes until the fat has run and the pieces are browning at the edges.
Add the chorizo and ham and cook 6 minutes, breaking the chorizo up, until its red fat colours everything in the pan.
Cook the onion and garlic in that fat 5 minutes until soft, then add the tomato and serrano and cook 8 minutes until it thickens.
Pour in the beer and let it bubble 3 minutes, scraping the browned crust off the bottom of the pan.
Tip everything into the beans with plenty of their cooking liquid and simmer 30 minutes so the pork flavours run through the pot. Salt now, at the end, and stir in the cilantro just before serving.
Substitutions: salchicha can stand in for the ham.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Santa Maria Tri-Tip with Pinquito Beans — American · Californian
Cajun Chicken and Andouille Pasta — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Francesinha — Portuguese
Carolina Chicken Perloo — Southern · Lowcountry
Hoppin' John with Smoked Ham Hock — Southern

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.