Slow-Cooked Spicy Pinto Beans

Ingredients

• 2 pounds dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
• 2 large jalapeno peppers, stemmed
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 2 smoked ham hocks, or more to taste
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 (7 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers

Directions

Put the pinto beans in a large slow cooker and cover them with water. Let them soak for about 3 to 4 hours while you get the rest ready. Next, blend the jalapenos and garlic in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste. Drain the soaked beans and put them back into the slow cooker. Stir in the jalapeno-garlic paste, then tuck the ham hocks in among the beans. Scatter the onion chunks on top, along with salt, cayenne, black pepper, and paprika. Lay the bacon and green chiles over everything. Cover the slow cooker and let it cook on low for around 10 hours. When it’s done, take out the ham hocks and let them cool just enough to handle, then shred the meat. Add the shredded ham and any fat back into the beans, stirring everything together so the fat melts in and makes the beans nice and creamy. You can either keep it warm or turn the slow cooker off until you’re ready to eat.