Cowboy Beans -- The Smell That Means You’re Home

One week from Day One. I'm going to mark these milestones — the one-week, the two-week, the thirty-day — not because they're officially significant but because they're something to aim at. Gary says, "Don't think about the month. Think about today." I do both. I think about today and I'm aware of the month approaching.

The cold has locked in hard this week. Negative twenty-two on Wednesday morning, which is the kind of cold that has opinions about your equipment. The tractor wouldn't start until I got the block heater on it for an hour. The water lines to the house froze Thursday morning and I spent two hours with a heat gun thawing the pipes in the crawlspace, flat on my back in negative temperatures, which is the kind of job that is exactly as miserable as it sounds.

I drove to Billings Monday for my VA appointment and stayed for the Thursday AA meeting. Dr. Stein asked about the slip and I told him honestly. He said, "You told your sponsor immediately. That's the important thing." He adjusted one of my medications slightly. He asked how the ranch was going and I told him about the water lines and he laughed — he's from Great Falls originally, he knows what Montana January pipes are. There's something grounding about a therapist who understands the context without explanation.

I made a pot of cowboy beans this week — pinto beans soaked overnight and cooked all day with a ham hock and dried chiles and onion, the kind of thing you start in the morning and don't think about again until dinner. The smell of beans cooking is one of the specific smells of this kitchen in winter that I had almost forgotten about when I was away. Now it's back and it means something I don't have a word for. Home, maybe. The particular texture of this home.

After a week of frozen pipes and crawlspace misery and negative-twenty-two mornings, this pot of beans was probably the best thing I did for myself. You soak them overnight, you start them in the morning, and for the rest of the day your kitchen smells the way it’s supposed to smell in January. I’m sharing the recipe because it’s the kind of thing that asks almost nothing of you and gives back more than it should.

Cowboy Beans

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus overnight soak) | Cook Time: 4-5 hours | Total Time: 4-5 hours plus soak | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Soak the beans. Place pinto beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse.
2. Toast the chiles. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, toast the dried guajillo and ancho chiles for about 1 minute per side until fragrant and slightly puffed. Remove and tear into large pieces.
3. Build the pot. Add the drained beans, ham hock, diced onion, torn chiles, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, and bay leaf to the pot. Pour in 8 cups of water. The liquid should cover the beans by about an inch — add more if needed.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover with the lid slightly ajar.
5. Cook low and slow. Simmer for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are completely tender and the broth has thickened. Add water in 1/2-cup increments if the pot gets too dry before the beans are done.
6. Shred the meat. Remove the ham hock and let it cool slightly. Pull the meat from the bone, shred it, and stir it back into the beans. Discard the bone and bay leaf.
7. Season and finish. Stir in the salt and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning. The beans should be creamy and thick with a smoky, gently spicy broth.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 10g | Sodium: 680mg