Rancho Gordo Beans Question…..🧐

[Panhead John]

58limited recently gifted me a package of Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans. I’ve never made Rancho Gordo’s before, tonight will be my first effort. The package says to boil first for 10-15 minutes, then simmer for 1-3 hours until done……well that sure ain’t very specific! 🙄 I’d like to have them done at 7:00 when the rest of my meal will be done. 2 questions here:

1. How long have you found it takes to cook RG’s? Specifically their cranberry beans, if this type matters.

2. Do you have a cranberry bean recipe you like best? I have most of the regular/common seasonings. I also have andouille sausage, ham hock meat, bacon and Tasso, which I could add to the beans….probably just go with Tasso and ham hocks, maybe. Anywho, what do y’all suggest?

P.S. I have not soaked the beans.

[bbqLuv]

I'm looking forward to your write-up and PIX too.

[Bob K]

I soak them for an hour at room temp. You don't need to, but I think they come out a little creamier that way. I'm also probably imagining that.

My best batches usually involve sautéing an onion and a couple of serranos or jalapeños with a clove of minced garlic, black pepper, and dried oregano. Then dump in the beans. You can use the soaking water, I do that sometimes, but I think it's better with chicken or beef stock, have done half stock, half soaking liquid too which also works. Enough to cover by an inch. This is all in a heavy dutch oven, btw.

After boiling for 15 mins per instructions, they go in a 250 oven with the lid cracked. 275 if I'm in a hurry. Start checking after 2 hours but they usually take 3. Don't add salt until they're done, to taste, it affects how the skins soften.

Edit to say: adding sausage, rib meat, chicken, etc. at the sauté stage is great too.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Bob! I usually do as you, chicken or beef stock and re-using the soak water. Question: I’ve always done my beans on the stove top. Is there an advantage to putting em in the oven instead?

[Bob K]

Panhead John - the advantage is...laziness! In the oven the heat hits from all sides so you don't have to keep stirring to prevent scorching on the bottom.

[John Henry]

Sir: Don't know if you have an Instantpot or similar, but they sure turn out great for me via that method, with or without soaking. And YT and the WWW are full of information about cooking RG's via Instantpot method, water, soaking, etc. Regards again to you, PHJ, and thanks for your hard work to keep everyone on our toes and well-entertained.

[Panhead John]

Thank you John! I don’t have an instant pot, but do them in a Dutch oven or large pot…out of habit I guess.

[yakima]

Beans are very forgiving. First question: instant pot or stovetop? fzxdoc is the IP queen. I have no IP experience.
I do stovetop, no oven. Like to do a mirapoix (sp) of celery, carrots, onion, garlic in a little olive oil. Rinse beans, soak if you have time, use soak water or stock added to sautéed vegetables/meat, bring beans etc to boil 10 to 15, then slowest
simmer you can get, a little bubble every few seconds. Assume 3 hours, they will be fine if held after being done. Kind of like holding brisket.

You have probably looked at ranchogordo.com.

Re the salt. Somebody, maybe Kenji, says timing does not matter. I don't know.

[Bob K]

You may be right about the salt. The "don't salt early" bit is the traditional advice. I have done both ways and not sure I could tell the difference.

[Panhead John]

yakima Thanks! And a CI Dutch oven on the stovetop is how I usually do em. Don’t have an instapot, no room in my smallish kitchen for anything else. Re salt, yeah, I’ve added at the beginning and end, I can tell no difference.

[barelfly]

I usually plan on them to cook 2-3 hours, cooking on the stove top in a DO. And I let my RGs soak for a few hours prior and use the soaking water to cook. I figure I can get them done early and hold them until everything else is ready.

but 2-3 hours, closer to 3 is what my experience is.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Jeremy, it looks like 3 hours is the recommended time so far.

[yakima]

You could store the IP in the back seat of new car.

[Panhead John]

Hmm, there is a 12 volt plug back there…🧐 could free up space on the stove….do they make a IP plug adapter? 🤓

[yakima]

Get a little inverter.

[troymeister]

Better to start the beans early.RG Cranberry beans generally cook in about 1.5 hours. But could be 2.You just don't know...Sauté up some mirepoix add the beans and then the water. Salt and season when almost done....When they are done, you have them. Too difficult to know the exact time. Save the bean water and make rice with it ou use as a thickening agent for sauces. Delicious. When beans are done add your sausage or whatever you want...Easy peasy. I found it is better to cook RG beans on the stove top rather than in the IP. I was not happy with how they turned out in the IP...No way to control it...

[SheilaAnn]

Welcome to the RG cult! 😝😝😝

the cranberry beans are a great starter bean! As well as black eyes or yellow eyes. I have a whole cooking chart from RG for the instant pot. If anyone wants it…..

I agree with about 3 hours. Salt near the end is how I roll.

Kathryn will chime in, I’m sure. As well as ecowper

[SheilaAnn]

Donw and Jessterr

Apparently uploading a *.pdf is above my skill set. I’ll PM y’all. If some one can enlighten me on how to share here, much appreciated.

I can’t send you a private message Donw

[Jessterr]

SheilaAnn Received your PDF, thanks a million, this will be extremely helpful!

[Donw]

I had PMs turned off for some reason. Turned it on and sent you a PM. Really appreciate you sharing your chart.

[ecowper]

Panhead John I love the cranberry beans. Great choice to use for my Texas drunken beans - https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...en-texas-beans …. This should answer all your questions

[ecowper]

Bro, if you use Coors, don’t blame me for it being SHITE ;-)

[Panhead John]

🤓 Actually, your recipe is pretty close to what I do sometimes. I’m doing yours tonight, minus the beer and using extra broth……👍

[yakima]

ecowper, I gotta take issue with Bud or Coors being too hoppy. Altho not in Yakima, you have been exposed to truly hoppy beers here in the NW. Back in Nebraska, 1960's, Coors, in Colorado, made 3.2 beer, often referred to as "weasel p---".

PJ prolly laid in a truckload before they ceased production.

Anyhoo, currently making your drunken beans with PBR. Will hold you completely harmless.

[Mosca]

I don’t soak. I do a hard 10 minute boil. I’ve had them done as quickly as 1.5 hours, but 2 is more like it; it depends on the bean.

My go to bean recipe is a mirepoix, garlic, and a cured pork product. I sometimes add chicken BtB.

[Panhead John]

Thanks for all the great help and suggestions! Just got them on the stove to start a 3 hour cook. Here’s the end of the mirepoix. Onion, garlic, jalapeños and seasonings…done in bacon grease. Added 4 slices of bacon and some ham hock meat.

[Panhead John]

Don’t feel bad, I had to Google it…..

[fzxdoc]

Nice looking mirepoix there, PJ. I bet those beans tasted amazing.

Kathryn

[PGH_RAM]

That looks fantastic!

Welcome to the RG fan club! One of the biggest culinary mistakes I've ever made was giving up my membership in the Bean Club.

[DaveD]

Kathryn posted a while back in some other beany thread about all the extremely good reasons why one should discard the soak water, and not use it. I can't remember what they were, only that I came away with the very firm conclusion that discarding the water is all I will ever do going forward...

[yakima]

I soak, discard soak water, but use cook water. Don't know what K said, but for me, around growing corn and wheat thru my youth, that stuff really does not get cleaned. Alway liked to chew just cut wheat, making it into gum, right out of combine hopper, but USDA or FDA would have had a cow.

[barelfly]

I rinse the beans, then soak and cook. If you know where the thread is, I’ll read up on it. Curious but it seems to work. But again, always interested in learning!

[fzxdoc]

The soaking water contains lectins from the beans (something you're trying to get rid of with hard boiling for 20 minutes when you cook them), so the FDA recommends that it gets thrown out.

Kathryn

[klflowers]

Those beans can be addictive. As a suggestion, if you like RG, try to get some Good Mother Stallard beans. I did them pretty simple, bacon, andouille. Onion, garlic, chicken stock. Black pepper, salt and a touch of some holy gospel rub right at the end. Best beans ever. I was shocked at how good they were. And I didn't soak them, I think they simmered for ~3.5 hours

[fzxdoc]

Good Mother Stallards are so hard to get at RG, but I always keep my peepers peeled for them. I gifted 2 bags to our daughters and wish I had them back. The beans, not the kids.JK

K.

[SheilaAnn]

I was able to save the page as a *.jpeg……

note the cropping in the upper right is not by my hand. That’s the exact way my copy is. There really is no missing valuable information.

[ecowper]

I dunno, that missing G totally changes it from Cooking to Cookin' :-)