Borracho Beans

• Soak the Beans: Place the dried beans in a large bowl. Pick out and discard any debris or shriveled bean. Pour enough water to cover them completely (at least 2-inches over top of beans). Soak them for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
• Cook the Beans: Transfer the beans to a large pot or a Dutch oven and add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches ((about 10 cups of water). Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then, simmer over low heat. Cover and simmer until the beans are fully cooked, tender but still firm, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking the beans after 2 hours of simmering to make sure they don’t overcook and become mushy.
• Drain the Beans: Reserve about 1/4 cup of the bean cooking liquid and then, drain the beans. You can leave the beans in the colander or transfer them to a bowl. Quickly rinse and dry the pot.
• Cook Bacon: Return the pot to the stove and cook the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside. You want to leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pot or Dutch oven.
• Sauté Aromatics: Into the same pot, add the onions and jalapeño and cook, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin and salt and cook for about 40 seconds or until aromatic.
• Simmer: Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices and the beer. Cook for about 2 minutes scraping up any browned bits that still remaining stuck at the bottom of the pot. Return the beans and their cooking liquid to the pot and as soon as the mixture is about to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Serve: Stir in the cooked bacon and the cilantro. Serve.

Make Vegetarian or Vegan Borracho Beans

• You can reduce the amount of salt if preferred as some brands of bouillon can be a bit salty. Season the final dish to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
• Skip the bacon, instead sauté the onions, jalapeño and green bell peppers in olive oil. Follow the recipe as written, adding the vegetable bouillon For vegans, make sure to use vegan beer.
• Dark Ale: If you can’t find Mexican dark beer like Modelo Negra, any dark ale without sour notes will work. You can also use pale ale if that’s all you have at home.