Charro Beans 2.0. New and Improved!

A couple of weeks ago, I whipped up some charro beans. They were good, but not quite what I was trying to achieve. I went back to the drawing board and came up with an even better recipe. These are spicy and delicious. I hope you enjoy. Originally, I used pinto beans, but for the new recipe, I switched to small red beans. I also used ham hock instead of bacon.

Charro Beans 2.0

Ingredients:

1 lb. small red beans

1 ham hock

½ yellow onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 can Ro-tel

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

6-8 cups water

Diced tomato, shredded cheese and cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Sort and soak beans in water overnight. Drain beans. Sauté onions and bell pepper in olive oil until soft. Add ham hock, beans, spices, Ro-tel, cilantro and 6 cups of water. Cook over medium to medium-low heat for 3 hours. Add more water as needed as the beans cook. You want them to be covered. Garnish with tomato, cheese and cilantro to serve.