Cuban Style Red Beans
Cuban-style red beans are slow-simmered with smoked ham, herbs, and spices for a hearty, flavorful dish that's perfect served over white rice.
- 12 ounces Dried Red Beans (we used small red beans)
- 10 cups of Water (plus water for soaking the beans)
- 1-1½ pounds Smoked Sliced Ham Shanks (or use ham hocks, or a meaty ham bone rinsed to remove excess salt)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion (finely diced)
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Salt (plus extra if needed at the end)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1½ tablespoons Chicken Base (like Better than Bouillon)
- Sort through the beans and remove any misshaped or off-color beans and any foreign objects like small stones and twigs.
- Rinse the beans with cold water. Soak them using the quick soak or the overnight method (refer to post above section âprepare the beans for cookingâ).
- Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, ground cumin, and black pepper, stir to combine.
- Cook the sofrito for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add the beans, 10 cups of water, ham shanks, the prepared sofrito, and the chicken base to a large pot, stir well to combine.
- Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham, and set them on a plate or cutting board to cool.
- Cover the beans and continue cooking while you chop the ham.
- When the smoked pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bones and any fatty pieces. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot.
- Continue cooking the beans (covered) for another 15-20 minutes. Try a couple of beans to determine how close to done they are. If the beans are still quite firm, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Then, try them again.
- When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken. This process can take from 35-55 minutes, depending on how much liquid is in the pot and how thick you want them.
- Keep the beans at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as needed. Stir occasionally at first then as they thicken stir more often to keep from burning on the bottom.
- Taste the beans and add salt if needed as a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve with white rice or crusty bread, if desired.
Soak them using the quick soak or the overnight method (refer to post above section “prepare the beans for cooking”). Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, ground cumin, and black pepper, stir to combine.
Cook the sofrito for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the beans, 10 cups of water, ham shanks, the prepared sofrito, and the chicken base to a large pot, stir well to combine.
Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham, and set them on a plate or cutting board to cool. Cover the beans and continue cooking while you chop the ham. When the smoked pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone.
Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot. Continue cookery the beans (covered) for another 15-20 minutes. Try a couple of beans to determine how close to done they are.
If the beans are still quite firm, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken.
This process can take from 35-55 minutes, depending on how much liquid is in the pot and how thick you want them. Stir occasionally at first then as they thicken stir more often to keep from burning on the bottom.
Taste the beans and add salt if needed as a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve with white rice or crusty bread, if desired.
