This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

ADVERTISEMENT

This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Mexican Cowboy Beans (Frijoles Charros)

6-8 Servings

1½ hours plus soaking time for the beans

Made This Recipe? Write a Review.
Thank you for submitting your review! A member of our team is confirming the review meets our site's Community Guidelines. It will be posted on the site shortly.

Mexican frijoles charros, or cowboy beans, is a brothy stew of beans and a variety of meats, plus aromatics, tomatoes and sometimes chilies. The dish is said to originate with the charros, or cowboys, who worked on the ranches of northern Mexico and threw together ingredients they had on hand to cook a hearty meal. Pinto beans are commonly used, but during a visit to Mexico City, chef Luis Alberto Llanos Legorreta made us a version with black beans, along with no fewer than four different types of pork products. Our recipe is modeled on his, but we include only chorizo sausage and bacon in our stew, and garnish at the end with crushed chicharrones (fried pork rinds) for texture; if you don’t like them, feel free to skip them. Serve with warm tortillas.

6-8

Servings

Tip

Don’t forget to add 1 tablespoon salt when soaking the beans. The salt helps soften the beans’ skins so water more easily penetrates, producing more tender beans, faster.

1½ hours

plus soaking time for the beans

Ingredients

  • 1

    pound dried black beans

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Reviews
SINCLAIR S.
July 2, 2026
¡Muy fácil y muy sabroso!
Very easy and very flavorful! We used beef chorizo. Lots of beautiful flavor. Didn’t use lard, but used the bacon and chorizo grease to cook the onions and garlic. Added a bit of tomato paste as our fresh tomatoes are not always super flavorful. Used the chicharrones as the “bread” instead of the tortillas. Shared with others and will make it again!
GARY G.
April 15, 2026
They are awesome
Pork rinds really set this meal off, the contrasting chewiness was awesome. I don't care for Chorizo, and was worried about the flavor it would add, but it was a really complimenting flavor. It's on my list to make for and wow guests.
WILLIAM G.
February 17, 2026
Enjoyed This
I would clarify the amount of chipotle in adobo that gets added to this recipe? That is the hot element. Otherwise loved it!
SUSAN Q.
January 31, 2026
I will make this again!
Great recipe that has been added to my favorites. I'm going to try adding pork butt to it
Eileen L.
January 12, 2026
Question re: Recipe
How many cans of black beans would I substitute to make this recipe faster?

ADVERTISEMENT