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Charro Beans

Name: Charro Beans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 150 g Bacon ahumado; 150 g Mexican chorizo; 100 g Pork crackling; 3 Tomato maduro; 1 White onion; 3 Serrano chilli; 1 bunch Fresh coriander; 1 to taste Salt and pepper; 500 g Bean pinto seco

110 min (20 prep + 90 cook) Medium 8 servings Nuevo León

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 11 Mar 2026 · Updated: 19 Mar 2026

Hearty northern Mexican bean soup with bacon, chorizo, and pork cracklings.

About this recipe

Charro beans are a hearty soup from northern Mexico that combines cooked beans in their broth with bacon, chorizo, pork cracklings, tomato, onion, serrano chile, and cilantro. It is a robust and flavorful dish served as a main soup at barbecues, ranch parties, and family gatherings. Unlike simple pot beans, charro beans include a base of animal protein that gives them a smoky, deep flavor. They are typically prepared with pinto or bayo beans and served piping hot with flour tortillas. Their name references the charros, traditional Mexican horsemen, as this was the food prepared on the cattle ranches of northern Mexico.

History & Origin

Charro beans originated on the cattle ranches of northern Mexico, particularly in Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Chihuahua, where cowboys and charros needed substantial dishes to sustain them through long working days. The abundance of pork in the region allowed them to enrich humble beans with bacon, chorizo, and pork cracklings. During rodeo and jaripeo festivals, charro beans were cooked in enormous pots over wood fires to feed dozens of horsemen. The recipe gained popularity throughout Mexico in the mid-20th century thanks to northern-style barbecues, which became a Sunday tradition. Regional variants exist: 'frijoles borrachos' (drunken beans) use beer instead of water, Sinaloa's 'frijoles puercos' include more pork varieties, and in Sonora they are made with machaca (dried beef). The classic Monterrey version remains the most recognized nationwide.

Estimated cost

£12.00

Total cost

£1.50

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

340

Calories

18g

Protein

30g

Carbohydrates

16g

Fat

Fibre

720mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
If you don't have beans already cooked, prepare the pinto beans following the pot beans recipe: cook them in water with onion and garlic for 1.5-2 hours until tender. Set aside the beans in its broth.
💡 You can use pot beans of the day anterior or incluso beans of lata drained with stock adicional.
2
In a large pot over medium heat, fry the bacon strips until crispy and they have released their fat (some 5 minutes). Remove the bacon and set aside on papel absorbente.
3
In the same bacon fat, fry the crumbled chorizo for 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and golden. Add the onion and the serrano chillies, cook 3 minutes more.
4
Add the chopped tomato and cook 5 minutes until it breaks down. Fold in the cooked beans with ALL its broth. Add the torn pork crackling and the bacon crispy reservado.
💡 El pork crackling ablandará with the stock and le dará a texture única.
5
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes, restirring occasionally, until the stock espese slightly and the flavours integren. Adjust the salt.
6
Serve piping hot in deep bowls, espolvoreado with chopped fresh coriander. Serve with flour warm tortillas.