Frijoles de Olla (Homestyle Black Beans)

A few notes/additions from a Mexican cook. These recipe looks great and authentic. My grandmother’s secret was to fry and almost burn onion slices in a generous amount of olive oil, and pour them (including the oil) into the cooked beans, then she’d add the salt (always using coarse sea salt). She’d also soaked the beans overnight or for at least 3 hours, and hold the garlic. ¡Buen provecho!

I presoak my beans as I find they cook more evenly that way. I generally use a hot water soak - bring water to a boil, salt heavily, then pour over beans, aromatics, & herbs. Leave for an hour or two (longer is fine). When ready to cook, refresh herbs & aromatics. (Oh, and BTW, beans do not toughen from being cooked in salt water. Salting late in the cooking process, or after the beans are cooked, results in unseasoned beans in a brine, because the beans stop absorbing liquid when fully cooked.

I’ve been making frijoles negros for almost 50 years. I honestly can’t tell the difference (never could) between soaking dried beans and cooking them, and using canned beans. I think, canned beans are generally terrific. I’d love to hear other peoples thoughts.