These home cooked black beans are so much better than canned and much cheaper. Whether you pressure-cook them or slow cook them, it's worth the effort.
*See Kitchen Notes for other alternatives for seasoning and discussions on brining and the cooking process.
This recipe takes longer than an hour because of the brine, but it yields enough beans to have 3 to 4 meals for the two of us. What I don't use within a few days, I freeze.
Transfer the beans to the pressure cooker. Add enough water to completely cover the beans and then a couple of inches above the top of the beans.
There are a lot of different methods for cooking beans and discussions as to when to salt beans. Personally, I feel it depends on your personal preferences and how you like your beans. This recipe is how I like my beans, so you’ll have to test it out for yourself.
Brine for 4 hours – Soaking the beans in a brine before cooking was a process that I saw in Cook’s Illustrated (CI). According to CI the brine results in softer skin beans, however, the beans don’t fall apart. And they are right! I no longer soak overnight. A 4 hour brine yields a better texture and the beans stay intact.
Seasoning – A minimum amount of seasoning during the initial cooking allows you to use the beans for a variety of dishes. However, since I like pretty much everything spicy, I always add the chipotle flakes and red chile powder. Because of the brine, don’t add salt until the beans are cooked and only if needed.
The Cooking process – Just like every microwave is different, every pressure cooker is different. So the timing in my instructions may not work for your cooker. My suggestion would be to start with this recipe, then adjust for your specific equipment and texture preference. Also, older beans (beans that have set on the shelf a long time) usually take longer to cook. So if you're beans have been on the shelf for 6 months or more, add a minute or two to the cooking time. And if they still aren't done, that’s o.k. Just cook them on the stovetop a little longer. I’d rather the beans come out of the pressure cooker undercooked than overcooked.
You can always forgo the pressure cooker totally and simmer on the stovetop about 2 hours after brining until the beans are tender.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen