Improvised Texas Beans

[Mr. Bones]

Yes, it is true...

I'm postin yet another 'weeknight' / 'cheater bean' cook, fer yet another cookout event, at my workplace.

Please, DO look down, right smack dab betwixt yer two feets, locate, an FIRMLY pull th Bright Red <<EJECT>> handle, if not interested.

I do so apologize fer tyin up yer time.

We had a Goin Away luncheon, fer our departin boss, Tommy W. ...

Tacos was th central main dish theme, so co-workers instantly dubbed it 'Tacos fer Tommy', from th git-go...

As per almost always, it will take me some time to transfer, select, edit, post pics, an narrate this cook, so please try to have a modicum, or at least a smatterin of patience, an Merrily, We shall Roll Along...

Please, do also unnerstan that fer th last ~ month+, we've been dealin with th severe illness, an finally, th loss of a dearly beloved Family Member , so free time has been even more unavailable than is usually th case...

[Mr. Bones]

I reckon any cook has to have a startin place, an pics start on this one, at th start of actual cookin, skippin th grocery store, research, an plannin stages, since pics of smoke comin outta my ears ain't incredibly helpful to to others, wishin to try makin this here dish.

This here cook started with my much loved/used Tramontina 12" Tri Clad SS skillet, which I got from my BFF, K.D., aka "King Dog"/Kilo Delta", when she moved back down home, to Pittsburg, TX to do end care fer her Ma, then settle th estate, etc.*

It's a fine skillet, which I rate quite highly, an would heartily recommend to anybody who appreciates great cookware...

Over low heat, cause I had several things workin at once to meet time constraints, I started out with 1 lb Hot Breakfast Sausage...lightly brownin, not fryin, was th goal; git some Maillard, leave some tenderness...

Hadda use Purnell's, this time, cause, sadly, HV seems to no longer carry Odom's TN Pride, which I prefer, when available...



Now, while th sausage was slowly cookin, I prepped 1 large white onion down to ~ 1/2" chopped, an some other stuff, as well was prepped.

Once most of th pork pink was gone, an some nice brown built up, I transferred sausage with a slotted spoon, to an awaitin DO, preheated on a really low burner...lid on, keep th moisture.

At this point, I added in:
1/4 C Guinness Extra Stout
1/4 C Black Arsed Coffee
1/2 C broth, made with water, an 3 boullion cubes; 2 beef, 1 chicken
1/2 large white onion, chopped coarse (Approx 1/2")

Lid went back on, to produce a barely perceivable low simmer...



*If yall ever done any of this, then nuff said. All yall that ain't, hope yall never haveta.

[klflowers]

That TN Pride spicy sausage is some great stuff. We always have a couple rolls of that around the house.

[jgreen]

Dang Bones. You are making me hungry already.

[Mr. Bones]

I do so apologize, if that is th case, an can totally sympathize; however, it does mean that I am doin my job, proper-like!

[Mr. Bones]

Slight backtrack, but here's some onion prep: (internet's often in an out, so lost connectivity, fer a spell+)

[Backroadmeats]

I actually canned some today used a pound of hot pork sausage then added a cup of homemade maple syrup.. definitely one upped the ones from the other day.. I use hamburger in my fresh ones but I am canning these and hamburger gets a funny taste when canned but pork sausage doesn't for some reason. I already can pork sausage so when I saw you were using it a light bulb went off!!!

[Mr. Bones]

Backroadmeats

So glad to hear that worked out fer ya, an truly honoured to know I provided even a spark of inspiration...

Smoke On!

[Backroadmeats]

Props on the pork sausage idea.. I may use that in my next try.. watching intently!!

[Mr. Bones]

I start almost every single ground meat cook with a 50/50 mix of hot breakfast sausage, an 85/15 Angus ground chuck; th two jus seem to really compliment each other...
Give it a whirl, lmk what ya think...

[Backroadmeats]

Sorry responded to your post above..

[Mr. Bones]

Duly noted, NP, an responded to, above, as well

[FishTalesNC]

Employing both a modicum AND a smatterin of patience cuz this is going to be worth it! 🍿

[Mr. Bones]

I appreciate yer indulgence; duly noted, Brother! Sierra Hotel

[Mr. Bones]

Hope I been worthy of yer endurin patience, Brother!
Jus an ol pot o beans!

[FishTalesNC]

Just an old pot of beans... 😂 And the Mona Lisa is just a painting. I could darn near smell it when you had everything reducing in the DO - a little slice o’ heaven Mr. Bones !👍🏻

[Frozen Smoke]

Very nicely done once again Mr. Bones you might have to change your name to Mr. Beans!

[Mr. Bones]

Uhh, wouldn't I haveta git all new monagrammed bowlin shirts, then?

Sounds kinda spendy...

[FireMan]

Ya also might have an infringement issue. 🕶

[Mr. Bones]

Slight backtrack, but here's some onion prep: (internet's often in an out, so lost connectivity, fer a spell+)

Sorry, yall, somehow got sticky-trapped at th quoted post, above, but fer some reason, I could never git a 'Upload Pix' button, despite refreshin, closin, reloadin etc.
Es macht nichts, let's see if this workaround worksaround it, shall we?

Onion Prep
Yes, this gadget really works!

[Mr. Bones]

Okay, so was able to post one more pic at a time.
Progress.

[Mr. Bones]

Partway there, while also watchin my breakfast sausage^...

Yup, it works, as advertised...

Which should, in theory, bring us neatly back to right before th forum software started makin this a collossal pita...
Gently, simmer sausage an onions, but don't think ya git a break, anytime soon...


Soon as th sausage left th skillet, why, there was a full pound 85/15 ground chuck, jus a wallowin in th sausage grease, at an equally very low temp...lil SPG, to start off...

Same as th pork, jus cook til th pink is visibly gone, cause this is all gonna cook a very long time, together...don't roach none of it!

[Mr. Bones]

While waitin on th ground chuck to take on some Maillard/colour, I busied my dang self dicin up some (2.5) jalapeños down to ~ 1/4" fine-ish...



By this time, my ground chuck/onions were done in th skillet, so I added them to my DO, as well...

added in my jalapeños...


After addin in th salsa, jalapeños, an ground chuck, I needed more braisin liquid, so I added in another:
1/4 C Guinness Extra Stout
1/4 C Black Arsed Coffee
1/2 C broth, made with water, an 3 boullion cubes; 2 beef, 1 chicken

[klflowers]

So far, so good Bones. Got my saliva glands working OT.

[Mr. Bones]

Rather than chop up some maters, an green peppers, I jus dumped a jar of salsa in; at bogo sale price it was cheaper than buyin th veggies, an saved some prep time...


After 20 minutes, it was minglin well,

I wanted more reduction goin on, so I upped my stove eye to a more aggressive simmer, with lid cracked on my DO

I stirred fairly often, (15~30 mins), usin a rubber spatula, to both prevent stickin, an git alla 'th Goodie' offa th sidewalls, an back into th mix, fer flavour an thickenin purposes...

[Mr. Bones]

Once th ground meat was transferred to my DO, I could move th skillet outta th way, bring my DO from th RH rear large stove eye, up to th LH front large one, fer easier access...

Got th temp settled in, right at th uppermost limits of a simmer/lowermost limits of a slow, rollin boil, with lid cracked...

Stir, stir, stir, bout every 15 mins. (I included some gratuitous "BLOP" shots, fer Brother gcdmd )

After bout ~ 30-35 mins, was seein th kinda semi reduction I was shootin fer, an turned em down, jus a wee lil smidge... (Mebbe, ~1-2 LRH's)

A few steps/pics back, I added in 1 pkg store brand taco mix, ~1/2+ T each, ancho, an chipotle pepper, ~1/8+ T cayenne, light drizzle of Texas Pete.
(Have to make it where everybody at work can/will eat it, not at all like th FIRE I make fer myself, an others, here at home...

[gcdmd]

Lovin' it.

[Mr. Bones]

In between alla that simmerin, 'bloppin', an stirrin, etc., I was preppin my beans, which largely consisted of operatin a can opener...

Rest of th beans I used:

Since they were unseasoned, I drained th Mrs. Grimes. an reserved th bean broth...

In retrospect, I'd use 4 cans Bush's Best, an skip th Mrs. Grimes...
they were fine, jus very unremarkable, an required additional small amounts of above listed peppers/hot sauce to bring my beans back to parity with my desired flavour profile...lesson learned, an, as I stated in my title, this was 'improvisation'...

[Mr. Bones]

As ya can see, if ya been followin my 'Bean Trail', some:

I been adjustin down my workbeans quantity, some, to better accommodate th volume needed to ensure everybody can eat their fill, an reducin leftovers, to a certain acceptable degree. Kinda part o th adaptation needed, when we git moved from work unit, to work unit, long bout every 6 months, etc.

Hopefully, all that 'merriment' is concluded, now...(I'll leave out th appropriate multiple, an compound expletives, as a sign of HOPE... )

I most certainly git gritched at, each an every time, fer bein so 'selfish', an takin em home, instead of leavin em fer reheat, next day/two, which I always take as a compliment!

This time, I felt th occasion/crowd to be fed called fer 6-15 oz. cans=90 oz.=5.625 lbs. beans, plus 2 lbs. meat / 1.5~ vegetables added, as well...so finished product was in th neighbourhood of 9.125 lbs. ...Estimated / projected 24-30 mouths to feed...