I've been making these beans for years as a regular side dish for Q'd meals. The original recipe came from an old Sunset Mexican Cooking cookbook. I've tweaked it a bit over the years.

1 lb pintos (soaked overnight, or quick soak method)
2 slices thick bacon or pancetta (diced)
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion (diced)
1 med green pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 cups chicken broth
2 beers
8oz tomato sauce
1 jalapeno (small diced)
1Tbsp oregano leaves (dried)
1Tbsp chili powder
2 Tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1-1.5 cups smoked rib trimmings or ham hock (OPTIONAL)

1. Prepare the beans for cooking. Sort beans, discarding any "foreign" material. Add to large sauce pot, and fill with cold water to 2-3" above the level of the beans. Let soak overnight. Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, add beans to a large saucepot, cover with a generous amount of hot water, bring to a rapid boil, boil for 2 minutes, then turn off heat, and cover beans for 1 hour. Drain and rinse, then use in the recipe.

2. Over medium heat in a cast iron dutch oven, slowly render fat out of bacon or pancetta. Add onion, green pepper and garlic, and saute until vegetables are soft (adding more oil if needed.) Add oregano, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves. Mix together with the vegetables and cook for 60 seconds or until quite fragrant.

3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth and ONE beer. NOTE: I use a pretty large amount of broth/stock because I usually cook these for several hours. You can add half the amount if you like, and just add more as you need it. Bring the mixture to a boil, then transfer the dutch oven to an oven or grill set for 325-350 degrees. Simmer slowly for anywhere from 3-6 hours, adding more beer (or broth if you prefer) to ensure that the beans don't dry out. You can, of course, simmer on the stovetop as well.

4. If using a ham hock, add this with the ingredients in step three. Remove after it simmers for at least 2 hours, let cook, then remove the meat from the hock and add it back to the beans. If using rib trimmings, add them during the last hour to heat them through, and give them time to impart some of their smoke flavor to the beans.

5. Serve the beans when they are at your desired consistency. Leftovers are great in pulled pork tacos or burritos the next day!!

Enjoy!

Rich