Chipotle Black Beans
My version of Chipotle's black beans, cooked from dried with onion, bay leaves and a spoonful of adobo paste made from dried Morita chiles, then seasoned with lemon and lime juice. It serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes of hands-on work in a pressure cooker, plus 8 to 12 hours of soaking.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 430kcal
Equipment
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
Citrus Juice
- 2 small limes this is a ratio; scale up as needed
- 1 large lemon
Adobo Black Beans
- 1 lb Dried Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
- water for pressure cooker; add more for stovetop
- neutral oil
- ½ cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoon adobo paste see my Chipotle adobo paste recipe
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
- 6 cup water for pressure cooker; add more for stovetop
- 2 tablespoon citrus juice lemon/lime blend, for finishing
- 5 teaspoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
Instructions
Make the Citrus Juice
- Juice 2 small limes and 1 large lemon. Strain out all pulp and seeds. This is a ratio, not a fixed quantity. Scale up as needed. Store in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it.
Cook the Black Beans
- Pick through the dried black beans and remove any broken beans or stones. Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt in enough water to cover the beans. Pour over the beans, add more water until they're submerged by 2 inches, and soak for 8-12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Heat neutral oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sweat until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the soaked beans, sweated onion, 2 tablespoon adobo paste, 2 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt to a pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. (Stovetop: simmer 1-2 hours, adding water as needed.)
- Test beans for tenderness, remove bay leaves, and season with 2 tablespoon citrus juice and 5 teaspoon salt, adjusting to taste.
Video
Notes
The salt: Five teaspoons for a pound of beans looks like a lot, but they need it. Taste them and keep adding salt or citrus juice until they taste right to you. People who've worked at Chipotle have said it uses Morton's coarse kosher salt, so the salt on this card is Morton kosher salt (about 4.8 grams a teaspoon). If you only have Morton table salt, use about a fifth less by the spoon.
Salting the soak: Salt in the soaking water helps the beans take in water evenly, so they don't burst when they cook. They don't need to go in the fridge while they soak.
The adobo paste: The 2 tablespoons come from my Chipotle adobo paste recipe, the same paste that seasons the steak and the chicken.
Pinto beans: As far as I know, Chipotle's pinto beans are made basically the same way. The old-school ones had bacon in them; my version with a slice of bacon is in my Chipotle burrito bowl.
The citrus juice: Two small limes to one large lemon, strained. You'll have extra; it keeps about a week in the fridge, or freeze it.
Storage: Get the beans into the fridge within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days (the USDA's guidance for cooked leftovers); reheat them to 165°F.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 430kcal