Yes, you sure can cook pinto beans in an oven, but here in the Ozarks we use a Dutch oven, too.
A Dutch oven has a tight fitting lid which means that it will hold a small amount of pressure, like a pressure cooker. This raises the temperature of the bean recipe to above regular boiling temperature and will cook your beans quickly.
Pinto beans cooked in the oven and using a Dutch oven makes a great combo. The even temperature of your oven coupled with the qualities of your Dutch oven cook pinto beans evenly and quickly.
Cast iron Dutch ovens can be used in this way, on top of the stove, or outside at the campfire.
This video shows how chef cooks beans on the stove top and gets the great results that we are known for here in this country.
How To Cook Pinto Beans From Scratch
Pinto beans are one of the most common kinds of beans to cook. My grand dad loved them and granny would always make “brown beans and buns”, which is what they called pinto beans.
Buying dry beans at the store is probably where you will start. Fresh beans cook the best because if you store them a long time they will be hard to cook done – in other words after cooking they will remain pretty hard.
Most times it's best to soak your beans overnight. If they have dirt clods in them you should clean those out, but I haven't noticed this happening in a long time. Soaking lets the beans soften just by sitting in the refrigerator overnight covered by water. Drain when you are ready to cook and start with fresh water covering the beans in your pot.
What Do You Do If You Forgot To Soak Beans Overnight?
Many years ago a friend showed me how to cook beans from dry to done in 1 hour. He did it with a pressure cooker on the stove top. Pressure cookers raise the temperature above boiling and cook beans much faster. Be sure to use plenty of water since the beans will soak it up while cooking.
A Dutch oven works the same way. The tight fitting lid hold some pressure and cooks beans faster. If you want to cook pinto beans in the oven this is a great way to do it. Just put beans and plenty of water in your Dutch oven, put the lid on and into the oven at 350.
How Long Do Pinto Beans Need To Cook?
Stove top after soaking – 4 hours
Pinto beans in Dutch oven – 1.5 hours
In a pressure cooker – 1 hour
Times are approximate since you will want to take into account the beans themselves ( how fresh are they – even if you just bought them) and how well does your stovetop, oven or campfire make heat.
Cooking pinto beans is one of those things you shouldn't hurry. Just enjoy the time and let them simmer. After beans begin to soften while cooking you can add all your favorite ingredients.
Cowboy Pinto Beans Recipe
1 pound dried pinto beans
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1-2 jalapeños, diced
1 ham hock (8 to 10 ounces)
1 1⁄2 tablespoons dried cilantro
½ tablespoon Red River Ranch Original Seasoning
½ tablespoon Mesquite Seasoning
1. Pour the beans into a large soup pot. Pour enough water over the beans until they are covered by about 2 – 3 inches.
2. Add the onion, jalapeño, ham hock, and cilantro. Cook over high heat until the mixture reaches a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Cover and boil hard for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. As soon as the beans are boiling, you may need to add more warm water to keep them slightly covered and throughout the cooking process.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the spices. Cover and simmer for 11/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans soften. Season again to taste, if necessary.
From the YouTube channel “Cowboy Kent Rollins”
How To Season Pinto Beans
My wife and I disagree on this one. I personally like to cook pinto beans with ham and when getting close to done I just add salt and black pepper. Pat however, likes to really season them up. She uses some exotic seasoning blends, salsa, and no telling what else she finds around to turn it into more of a “bean soup”. Here's some things she might just throw in there and honestly her bean soup usually comes out tasting great:
- cumin
- paprika
- chili powder
- cayenne
- garlic or garlic powder
- and even bay leaves
A couple of ingredients that I do approve of is celery (be careful), onions and green peppers. These veggies seem to give a pot of pinto beans a nice full flavor.
Did you know you can use the lid of your Dutch oven to cook on?
Do You Simmer Pinto Beans With Lid On Or Off?
I've noticed this question come up so I thought I would clarify the instructions a little. There's a difference between cooking the beans to “done” and simmering them to combine all the flavors and get the best consistency.
When I am cooking the beans to start with I like to cook mostly with the lid on. This helps get the beans done faster, thus cutting down the cooking time. But, you really need to watch your beans as they cook because just one burnt bean in the batch ruins the flavor of it all.
So keep a warm pitcher of water handy to add while the beans cook just in case because they really soak up water as they swell up. Keep water above the level of the beans and stir often.
Once your beans are about done you can tell by scooping a little out and you should be able to easily smash them with your finger. At this point it's time to start simmering the beans and add your other ingredients to season them up the way you like.
I like to leave the lid off from here on out so I can see the beans cooking and make sure they simmer along at a moderate temperature. No more hard boiling at this point, just let them slowly steam and bubble, and stir them quite often to make sure they don't burn on the bottom.
What's Different About Cooking Beans In A Dutch Oven?
Cast iron Dutch ovens are made of thick metal that holds a lot of heat naturally, so changes in heat applied take effect more gradually. For instance, if you are cooking over a campfire with a cast iron Dutch oven you can move it over onto a cooler spot next to the fire and the oven and beans will still stay hot a long time.
Let's say you put your beans and water in a cast iron Dutch oven and plan to cook in your kitchen oven. In this case it will take a little longer for the pot and beans to get going because the oven has to heat up that cast iron, too.
But an advantage in both cases is that tight fitting cast iron lid. It causes a little pressure to build up inside the pot, kind of like a pressure cooker does and cooks your beans much faster. When your beans are all done just put the lid on and move them off the heat to keep them warm a long time.
American Made Dutch Ovens
There are many great American made Dutch ovens, but don't discount the imported choices. Dutch oven purchase is a personal choice that includes many different elements like size, weight, intended use and most importantly – personal preference.
For a good look the very best Dutch ovens on the market right now check out our article 10 Best Dutch Ovens This Year – Ozark Top Picks.
Why Add Apple Cider Vinegar To Soaking Beans?
There are a couple of reasons to add some apple cider vinegar to your bean soup, depending on what you want to accomplish. When soaking beans it is believed that adding the vinegar can change the indigestible components of the beans to make them more compatible with our digestive system, kind of like the difference in eating sweet corn which is hardly digestible in the human body and eating hominy that has been altered to be nutritious.
The result is more nutritious bean soup which may also help with gas and bloating problems. The other way to use apple cider vinegar in your bean recipe is to just add a small amount while the beans simmer and are finishing up. This adds a little “zing” to make your beans taste awesome.
What Can I Put In Beans To Prevent Gas?
Pat always says if you want to make your beans less gassy just put a carrot in the soup while it cooks, then remove it when they are done. BUT, whatever you do, don't eat the carrot!
I don't know if that's true or not, but it's possible it could change the chemistry of the bean to make it more digestible like the vinegar example above. Other folks say put a little baking soda in your soup which probably does the same thing.
There are also store bought remedies especially for this problem, like Beano. And just soaking your beans overnight and changing rinse water before you begin cooking can help a lot.
For myself, I'm hard of hearing and lost my sense of smell in the last epidemic so I don't worry about it too much. Another advantage is that I don't get so many visitors anymore.
Some Important Things About Cooking Beans
Here's a list of things you should consider when planning that next meal with beans:
- Use plenty of water when cooking dry beans. One burnt bean ruins the whole batch.
- Think about cooking a type of bean you haven't tried yet. There's a whole bunch of kinds.
- Rinsing and soaking dry beans before you start cooking them is always a good idea.
- Cooking dry beans in hard water. We homesteaders might use rain water.
- Cook dry beans by themselves until they are nearly done, THEN add all your other ingredients.
- Beans are better if you make sure not to undercook or overcook them.
- Beans kept in storage over 24 months may get really hard to cook done.
- If your cooked beans taste flat try adding salt first.
So, the more you cook beans the better you will hone your recipes.