Ranch Style Beans

If you live in Texas, you gotta love you some 'Ranch Style' beans. While I love a good ole pot of plain pintos beans to go with my cornbread, my favorite type of beans when I was growing up were the Great Western 'Ranch Style' beans. In fact, I still love 'Ranch Style' beans! Sometimes known as 'western', 'chili' or 'cowboy' beans, they are a combination of pinto beans, tomato paste, sugar and spices cooked just right, not to spicy and not to sweet. I have a recipe in which I add all the ingredients into quart mason jars and can them, but because so many of you do not have the equipment to can your own beans, I wanted to share my crockpot version with you.

As I have mentioned in several of my posts, it is winter once again and the cool weather is a perfect time to dust off those soup, stews and chili recipes. While I love my beans, sometimes there just never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done that you need to do. That is where slow cookers or 'crock pots' come to the rescue.

These simple devices make it easy for you to gather all your ingredients and throw them in to pot, turn it on and walk away returning after several hours to a hot cooked meal. Well...not exactly, but they do make your life easier when it comes to cooking certain types of dishes. And beans do well when cooked in a crockpot or slow cooker. Slow cookers allow you load up the cooker overnight or during the day before you go to work and have a fresh hot meal waiting for you when you get home. The following is my recipe for 'Ranch Style' beans and it makes about 8 to 10 four ounce servings.

Ranch Style Beans

2 cups of dried pinto beans (soaked overnight)

¼ cup diced onion

1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon

3 teaspoons beef bouillon

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground chile's (5 Ancho, 3 California, 3 New Mexico)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon oregano

Chef's Note: I grind my own chile's to make a chile powder I take dried chile's (5 ancho, 3 California, and 3 New Mexico) cut off the tops and remove the seeds. I then place them on a cookie sheet and roast them in a 300 degrees oven for 2-3 minutes. For more information on making your own chile powder you can check out my video. Episode 2: HomemadeChile Powder.

Sort though and remove any small rocks you may find. Yes, I said small rocks, as I generally find at least one in every bag of pinto beans I buy and you really do not want to break a tooth. Add the pinto beans to the crock and cover with 2 to 4 inches of water, then soak the dried beans overnight. They will absorb a lot of water and will double in size overnight. In the morning drain the water (pour it in your houseplants or garden, why waste it) and add 5 cups of fresh water to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and set your slow cooker on the desired temperature (Low or High).

The only decision left to make is to determine when you want your beans to be ready. If you want to be able to eat your 'Ranch Style' beans within the next 5 to 6 hours then cook them on high. If however you are wanting to cook the beans over night, or you want it took cook while you are at the office or running errands, then set the heat to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. If cooking overnight, you may also want to increase the amount of water from from 5 to 6 cups as you will not be around to monitor the moisture content and you do not want your beans to run dry and get scorched.

Cost Analysis

So lets look at the actual cost of our homemade 'Ranch Style' beans versus the most popular commercially prepared 'Ranch Style' or 'Chili' beans available on supermarket shelves here in Texas. I realize that in other parts of the country there may be different brands and prices may very, but the following prices are pertinent as of 10/2015 here in East Texas.

Great Western 'Ranch Style' beans $0.86 for 15oz can ($0.057 cents per ounce)
Great Value 'Chili' beans $0.72 for 15oz can ($0.048 cents per ounce)
Bush's 'Chili' beans $0.92 for 15oz can ($0.059 cents per ounce)
Slow Cooker 'Ranch Style' beans $1.26 for 40 ounces ($0.031 cents per ounce) A 50% Savings over store bought!

Pinto beans $0.96 ($0.07 cents per ounce), onion $0.10 (5lbs for $1.00), garlic $0.10 (approx), seasoning and spices $0.10, for a total cost of about $1.26 or $0.03 cents per ounce for homemade 'Ranch Style' beans. Any way you look at it, making your own 'Ranch Style' beans at home saves you 50% over commercially prepared brands and the flavor as well as the nutritional value is greatly enhanced when you make your own. To validate the nutritional claim, let's look at the following ingredients list.

The Ingredients

So is making your own 'Ranch Style' or 'Chili' beans more healthy? In my opinion that is a definite yes! Just to emphasize my point, let's take a look at the ingredient list of the Great Western 'Ranch Style' bean ingredients versus our homemade beans.

Great Western 'Ranch Style' Beans: Pinto beans, water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), less than 2% of: blend vf vegetable oils and animal fat (partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil and rendered beef fat), salt, chili peppers, sugar, paprika, vinegar, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, natural flavorings, soy lecithin.

Slow Cooker Homemade: Pinto beans, tomato paste, onions, garlic, paprika, salt, sugar, ground chile peppers (Ancho, California, New Mexico), cumin, black pepper, oregano, chicken bouillon*, beef bouillon* and water.

*Because powdered bouillon tends to be high in sodium, I do not add any additional salt to the crockpot when making beans. You can adjust the seasonings when you open the jars and heat up the contents. In addition, some powdered bouillon's like the Knoor brand that I use contain MSG which you may not want to use. For more information on powdered bouillon's check out my article Restaurants Use Them So Should You?

Now I do not know about you, but if you are concerned about what you and your family eat, I definitely know which chili I would rather serve my loved ones. I am not saying that commercially prepared ranch style or chili beans are bad or that you should avoid them, I am simply stating that if you want to avoid certain ingredients, and wish to limit the extra stuff in pre-processed foods that your family consumes, then making your own beans is far cheaper as well as being healthier for you and your loved ones.

No Chile Grind Variation

Because I know many of you may not want to grind your own chile's I have modified the following recipe to use a commercial chili powder. Now commercial chili powders contain cumin, salt, paprika, as well as a blend of various chile's. No two are the same, but they are all similar. I do not think this recipe is as good as grinding your own, but it is easier, and it is 'minimalist' pantry friendly.

Ranch Style Beans

2 cups of dried pinto beans (soaked overnight)

¼ cup diced onion

1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon

3 teaspoons beef bouillon

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Conclusion

The flavor of this recipe is pretty close to the original Great Western brand of 'Ranch Style' beans, and my family loves them! They have become one of the most popular side dishes served with any grilled, smoked, BBQ or baked foods our family eats. That is a good thing as they are not only inexpensive to make, but they are a good additional source of protein and fiber. Besides, 'Ranch Style' beans go with just about anything. And did I mention, making your own 'Ranch Style' beans at home saves you 50% over the store bought brands?

Slow cookers help you stretch your food budget by making if convenient to cook meals slowly overnight or during the day why you are at the office, or spending the day running errands. Cooking meals at home allows you to stretch your food budget and keeps you from spending your hard earned money at the drive though on the way home from a busy day. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Articles On Our Blog:

Texas Style Slow Cooker Chili

Restaurants Use Them So Should You?

Buying More With Less: Strategies To Stretch Your Food Dollar.

Making Your Vegetable Stock For Free...

I may have mentioned in one of my earlier articles that one of the things that was drilled into my head many years ago during culinary school was that nothing goes to waste. In our kitchen, each time that my wife or I cut or prep vegetables, we save all the ends, pieces and peelings (carrot, zucchini, squash etc.) and they go into a one gallon zip lock bag and are placed in the freezer. When we get 1 – 2 bags full of ends and pieces I throw them in a large stockpot, and add enough water to cover the vegetables by two inches and bring to a boil. I then reduce the heat and simmer the vegetable pieces for 45 to 60 minutes, or I add them to the pressure cooker and process the vegetables for 30 minutes to get out all those great flavors and nutrients.

Then I strain the vegetable ends and pieces through a fine mesh strainer. Most of the time I keep the strained stock hot and can it in 1 quart mason jars. However, if you wish, you can cool the stock and then pour the stock into the freezer safe container of your choice. For this article I canned all the vegetable stock in 1 quart mason jars. Once the vegetables have been cooked and all the flavor and nutrients have been extracted, the veggies are then cooled and fed to our chickens.

The Recipe

There are a couple of different ways to make vegetable stock. I use to simmer it on my stove top for 1 – 2 hours, but now I pressure cook the vegetables and then can them in my pressure canner. For small batches (1-2 gallon bags of ends and pieces) I cook the vegetables in my electric pressure cooker. For this article I had three 1 gallon zip lock bags of vegetable pieces so I pressured them at 10psi for 30 minutes in one of my two Mirro Matic 23 quart pressure cookers. Because I had such a large batch of veggies it was simply easier and faster for me that cook them in my large pressure canner. But by all means cook your stock however you are most comfortable.

Vegetable Broth

3 gallons of mixed vegetables pieces (3, 1-gallon bags)

2 gallons of water

2 teaspoons salt (optional)

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns (optional)

Combine all ingredients into your stockpot or pressure cooker and cook thoroughly. If you are using a stockpot, then cook the vegetables for 1 to 2 hours, if using your pressure cooker, cook them on 10PSI for 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and strain out the solids.

If you are going to freeze the stock, allow it to cool completely. Fill the container of your choice about 75% full, as the liquid will expand as it freezes, and place in your freezer until needed. If you want to can your vegetable stock, then follow proper canning procedures and can pints for 20 minutes at 10PSI or 25 minutes at 10PSI for quarts. I am not going to go into the step-by-step procedure for canning in this article, but you can find such instructions is my article 'Canning Basics: A Step-By-Step Guide'.

Chef's Note: I realize the ingredient list for this recipe is not in exact quantities, but a good starting ratio would be 3 quarts of liquid for every 1 gallon bag of ends and pieces. Usually, I just fill my pot about two inches above the vegetables and get good results.

Storing Or Preserving Your Stock

If you are not going to use your stock right away, you need to find a proper way to store it as it is only good in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. So you have a couple of decisions to make, when I have small amounts of stock and I do not want to tie up my canning jars I pour the stock in 20oz Gatorade or 2-liter soft drink bottles and place them in the freezer. Just remember that liquid expands when it freezes so if you decide to freeze your soup stock only fill the bottles about 75% full. If you have a vacuum sealer, you can freeze your stock in small containers, then once it is fully hardened take it out of the container and vacuum seal your blocks of stock.

Most of the time I prefer to can my stocks and soup bases. Fortunately, I have the storage space and the equipment to do so, but I understand not everyone does. The added advantage to canning my stock is that it does not take up precious space in my freezer and the stock is shelf stable until opened. You will need to use your pressure canner as stocks are a low-acid food and all low acids foods must be pressure canned to make sure they are safe for you and your family.

Pressure Canning Your Vegetable Stock

By this point you have done all of the complicated stuff, now comes the easy part. One at a time, ladle your hot stock into your sterilized jars leaving 1-inch of head space. Then, wipe the rim of the jar with a damp clean paper towel. Place the heated lid on the jar then hand tighten the ring and using your tongs, place the jar in the simmering pressure canner. Repeat this process until your canner is full, then place the lid on the canner and process at the USDA recommended time and pressure (see below).

Chef's Note: The USDA does not give a specific time for processing vegetable both, but does give times for meat broth 20 minuted for pints, 25 for quarts. I have used the same processing time as recommended for vegetable soups 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts. I realize the time may be longer than necessary, but it will not hurt your vegetable stock. I have included the recommended times per the Ball Blue Book of Preserving below, the recommended time is quite a bit shorter, but I process all my soups and stocks for longer than recommended.

If you have more stock to process than your canner will hold, only fill enough jars to completely fill the canner. Once the first batch of stock has been processed and removed from the canner, check the water level in the canner and adjust it as necessary. Then fill additional jars with stock following the previous instructions and process the remaining stock. Continue to do this until all of your stock has been safely processed.

If per chance, you do not have enough jars of canned stock to fill the pressure canner (which happens to me all the time) Take empty jars filled with warm water without lids and add those to the canner to take up the empty space. These water filled jars will keep your precious bounty from falling over and possibly breaking during the pressure canning process. Remember to take care as the stock in the canning jars will be boiling and quite hot to touch.

USDA Recommended Processing Time In Dial Gauge Pressure Canner for Vegetable based Soups.

Pint Jars 60 minutes at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs (4,001 – 6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).

Quart Jars 75 minutes at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs (4,001 – 6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).

USDA Recommended Processing Time In Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner for Vegetable based Soups.

Pint Jars 60 minutes at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft altitude).

Quart Jars 75 minutes at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft altitude).

In my Ball Blue Book of Preserving (2011) it lists the following canning times for vegetable stock pints 30 minutes, and quarts 35 minutes at 10PSI of pressure.If you live at altitudes greater than 1000ft above sea level, Ball recommends that the increase the pressure to 15PSI and use the same recommended cooking time. As mentioned earlier, I process my stock for the same amount of time as my soups, if you have a lot of stock to process, then the recommended lower processing times as recommended by Ball will definitely same you some time.

Conclusion

Homemade soups and stews are an inexpensive way to feed your family. Making your own vegetable stock from leftover ends and pieces costs you absolutely nothing except the cost of the storage container. This stock can be the basis for many vegetarian meals and soups, it can be used to enhance other stocks, or as an additive to soups and stews to give them additional flavor, body and essential nutrients that your family will rave about. I find vegetable stock a really nice way to ramp up the flavor and nutritional component of all different types of beans as well. Remember if you are going to can vegetable stocks you need to pressure can them, no water baths allowed here!

If you are looking to find additional ways to stretch your food dollars, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional Article On Our Blog:

Yes You Can! Preserving Your Harvest

To Pressure Or Not To Pressure, That Is The Question

Additional References On the Web:

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Revised 2015

Ball' Guide To Pressure Canning Low Acid Foods

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti (Pasta with Red Sauce)

When I was a bachelor, my brother and I lived off spaghetti. I think we must have had it 3 times a week, plus leftovers to take to work for lunches. It is cheap, quick, filling, and my recipe is delicious. Spaghetti takes almost no time in an electric pressure cooker as the overall cook time is only 6 to 8 minutes. Because red sauces give my wife so much acid reflux, I do not eat much pasta with red sauce anymore unless we have company or the family is over to visit. We have a large 8 quart electric Power Pressure Cooker XL, but this recipe should work in any electric pressure cooker.

This is one of the few recipes that I like to cook my pasta with the sauce. I personally think the spaghetti re-heats better if the pasta and sauce are in separate containers (I like my pasta al-dente and when reheated in the sauce is more done than I prefer). However, it does not make a lot of sense to cook a pasta sauce in the pressure cooker without the pasta. This recipe has a lot on ingredients, but I have also included a 'Minimalist Pantry' version that uses pre-made pasta sauce

The Recipe

8 to 16 ounces of ground beef

1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced petite tomatoes, undrained

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

2 ½ cups of water

½ cup red wine

2 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons basil, dried

1 ½ teaspoons oregano, dried

1 ½ teaspoons parsley, dried

1 teaspoon marjoram, dried

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

Place the inner pot in the pressure cooker, add the ground beef and cook until brown and no longer pink. Remove the ground beef and sauté the onions in the remaing fat. If you are using lean ground or beef, you may need to add a small amount of olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) to the pot and sauté the onions. On the 'Instant Pot' cooker select the sauté button to sauté the onions brown the beef. If you are using the 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' press any preset buttons with the lid off to sauté the onions and beef.

Chef's Note: We purchase large amounts of fresh ground beef (3 to 5lb chubs) when it is on sale and pre-cook the meat with diced onions. Then we rinse it under hot water to remove any additional fat from the cooking process. We allow the ground beef to dry in a colander, and then bag it into 1lb zip lock bags and place it in the freezer. When we need it, either throw it in the fridge the day before, or quickly defrost it in the microwave to have pre-browned meat and onions ready for a quick meal.

Once you have browned the meat and sautéed the onions, drain the inner pot of any unwanted fat, then add the remaining the ingredients to your pressure cooker, place the lid on and lock it in place. Switch the pressure release valve to the closed position (or it will not build up pressure). Press the RICE/RISOTTO button and increase the cook time to 7 minutes (well done pasta) or 6 minutes (al-dente pasta).

Chef's Note: If your electric pressure cooker does not have a RICE/RISOTTO button like the Power Pressure Cooker XL, then set it on low pressure and select 6 to 7 minutes as the cook time. Different pastas cook slightly differently under pressure. In the picture below, I used a 12oz bag of Skinner Brand 'Trio Italiano' pasta (rigatoni, shells, and mostaccioli) and they all came out great, having said that some pastas tend to be more delicate than say elbow macaroni or rigatoni. So if you use different sizes or types of pasta you may have to try the recipe and adjust the cook time to get the results you like.

The Minimalist Pantry Recipe

8 to 16 ounces ground beef

1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice

1 24 ounce can Hunt's Pasta Sauce

1 cup beef broth

2 cups of water

2 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

Time Savings

Before we purchased or electric pressure cooker, this recipe used to take about 45 minutes to cook on the stove top to allow all of the flavors of the pasta sauce to simmer and blend together. In the pressure cooker, 6 to 7 minutes. If you want to save additional prep time, do all of your vegetable prep the day before and simply add everything to the cooker, and set the time for 6 or 7 minutes depending on how you like your pasta.

Conclusion

There you have it, quick fast and easy. If you do not like spaghetti noodles, then substitute the pasta of your choice, there are no fast and hard rules when you are cooking for you and your family. Remember cook what you like, not what someone else thinks you should. Different pastas cook differently, smaller pastas cook really fast and can turn into mush. If your kids love shells or elbow macaroni then try and use the medium sized ones rather than the small or large. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes or articles.

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