General Rancho Gordo bean cooking question

[grantgallagher]

How long do you typically need to cook these for? From their site ive gathered a 10-15 min hard boil first followed by simmer until they are ready. Salt at the end, add any acid at the end, only top up with hot water. But i havent gathered a general time frame for the simmer part. Any insight from regular RG users?

Thanks in advance.

[Texas Larry]

I generally count on about 2 hours. Varies. These beans cook up really nice and creamy. Far better than the low grade grocery store beans around here.

[grantgallagher]

Thank you Texas Larry Ill make sure i work at least 2 hours into my timing.

[ofelles]

I will 2nd that 2-3 hours. Start checking at 2.

[T-bone]

Love RG beans! I’ve been doing mine in the sous vide. So easy and works great.

Cooking beans sous vide is a way to ensure that they have an ultra-creamy texture, optimal flavor, and avoid blowouts.

http://www.recipes.polyscienceculinary.com/recipe/master-technique-cooking-legumes-sous-vide/

[grantgallagher]

Interesting, I never thought of doing it that way. Might have to give that shot next go around.

[Bkhuna]

Thanks for the link. I started buying RG beans a couple of months before Christmas and they are terrific.

[fzxdoc]

This method recommends SV cooking at 90°C, which is not hot enough for cooking dry beans safely. See my later post here (#8) for more details (ran out of characters for a comment).

https://enewsletters.k-state.edu/youaskedit/2017/10/13/cooking-dry-beans-safely/

Just FYI.

Kathryn

[SheilaAnn]

+2 on the two hour thing. I don’t do an acid, but I do salt at the end. I usually make mine in stock as well. I don’t salt my stock/broth until I am ready to use it for any given recipe.

[ecowper]

I typically find I really don’t need salt for RG beans the way that I make them.

[ecowper]

I make a mirepoix (chopped carrots, onions, celery, leeks in equal parts). Cook that in bacon fat or olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add beans. Add enough chicken stock to cover by at least 1 inch. Bring to a hard boil and show those beans who the boss is for about 10 minutes. Reduce to a bare simmer, meaning 1 bubble a second, give or take. Use a lid to regulate this. I end up on the lowest heat setting with a lid cracked about an inch to get here. Check every 20 minutes or so for liquid level. Add hot water or hot stock to keep beans submerged in liquid. At 2 hour mark, start checking for done. To me that is when the bean is still firm, but can be easily bitten through and is not at all crunchy.

[Bkhuna]

I did this with Arroyo Morado beans last week and they were awesome. I'm a real RG fanboy.

[fzxdoc]

For 1 lb of dry beans:

Sometimes I presoak for 1-2 hours, but most of the time I go with no pre-soak just a good wash and debris scrutiny/removal.

Then into the Instant Pot for 65 min on High, with natural pressure release (NPR).

Cook with water added to the 2.5 liter level of the inner pot of the IP (use the soaking water if available), sauteed garlic (1 clove) and onion ( 1/2 small) or just a bit of garlic and onion powder if you're feeling lazy. Salt at the end.

This way I can really taste the beans in whatever application I subsequently want to use them in--hot in soups, etc, cold in salads. Plus they're delicious as is.

I also make specific (highly flavored) bean recipes in my IP. This method is just for plain beans that I want to use in some future recipe.

And I always save the bean broth if it doesn't get used up right away. It's wonderful, added to soups.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

...ran out of characters, Bkhuna , in the previous comment.

Here's one I'm trying this week, adapting to the IP: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/wh...-chorizo-chili

Sounds good for a wintry day.

K.

[Bkhuna]

fzxdoc Thank You.

[grantgallagher]

fzxdoc that black eyed pea and sausage soup recipe...do you just saute/brown meat and veggies then throw everything in the instant pot?

[grantgallagher]

I think i will instant pot them next time. Took way longer than i expected, about 4-5 hours. But on the upside...they were delicious. And this morning made for some excellent breakfast.

[Bkhuna]

That right there is a perfect fried egg.

[fzxdoc]

Love RG beans! I’ve been doing mine in the sous vide. So easy and works great.

Cooking beans sous vide is a way to ensure that they have an ultra-creamy texture, optimal flavor, and avoid blowouts.

http://www.recipes.polyscienceculina...mes-sous-vide/

They recommend cooking SV at 90°C (194°F), which is not hot enough for beans to cook them safely. That temp will kill bacteria but will not disarm a dangerous lectin compound, more concentrated in kidney beans but also present in other beans according to this article:

https://enewsletters.k-state.edu/you...-beans-safely/

Just eating 4 or 5 kidney beans that haven't been boiled can cause serious vomiting and diarrhea, according to this article.

180 to194° is about where many crockpots settle in, depending on the setting, which is also why we shouldn't use the crock pot for cooking dry beans.

Just FYI.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Interesting question, wu7y , with respect to bean safety and high altitude cooking. Since I pressure cook my beans, I haven't had to think about it. Where I live, water boils at 205°F.

FWIW, the FDA says boiling for 10 min is safe, but to be extra sure, boil for 30 minutes. That tells me there's a time factor going on as well, most likely.

Kathryn

[T-bone]

Thank you fzxdoc. I hadn’t heard of that before. Great info. With a little research I found that white kidney beans, or cannellini beans, contain only about one-third of the toxin as red kidney beans. Broad beans, or fava beans, contain just 5 to 10 percent of what’s in red kidney beans.

https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/chow-line-dry-kidney-beans-need-be-boiled

[SheilaAnn]

We plant favas every year! First, because I love them and I get a bumper crop. Second, because they give so much nitrogen to the soil.

[fzxdoc]

fzxdoc that black eyed pea and sausage soup recipe...do you just saute/brown meat and veggies then throw everything in the instant pot?

grantgallagher here are my notes from the recipe on my Paprika app:

https://www.homesicktexan.com/2014/1...sage-soup.html

Smokey Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Soup Notes:

To Make in Instant Pot:

Soak Rancho Gordo black-eyed peas for 1 hour or so. Or not.

No need to follow directions in the recipe except for the browning steps (assembling the ingredients in the pot.) and the steps where some of the peas are mashed to thicken the broth and when the kale, vinegar, and smoked paprika are added at the end.

Use Saute function for the browning steps.

Cook in IP High 40 min + 10 min NPR + Manual Release.

Notes:
1. Black eyed peas cook faster than dried beans so I don’t have to do 65 min High + NPR as I often do for Rancho Gordo dried beans.

2. If using Hot Italian Sausage that I've already smoked on my PBC from a previous chicken cook , add after bacon has been browned. Heat through.

3. Substitute spinach for kale (Nobody likes kale in our house). Use 10 oz frozen chopped spinach or 1 lb of roughly chopped fresh spinach.

4. Using 2 chipotles as listed in the recipe made the soup to spicy for (my husband). Back down to 1 chipotle and offer chopped fresh jalapenos as garnish for those of us who like it more spicy.

5. Substitute 1 cup (or more) of lager beer for 1 cup of water.

6. Add all ingredients to pot except kale (spinach), vinegar, and smoked paprika. Cook on High pressure 40 min + 10min NPR+ Manual Release. Then mash a few of the peas (or add a roux) to thicken, and add the kale (spinach), vinegar, and smoked paprika as directed in the recipe. Salt to taste.

Kathryn

[grantgallagher]

thank you! im going to make this today, appreciate it.

[fzxdoc]

Let us know how you like it. It's a big hit in our family.

Kathryn

[Bkhuna]

Thanks for the notes and the recipe. I have today's dinner planned already but it's going to happen next Saturday. I'll use collards. With Cornbread.