
Frijol con Puerco (Black Beans with Pork)
Yucatecan black bean stew with pork served with roasted tomato-habanero sauce and fresh garnishes.
About this recipe
Frijol con puerco is a classic of everyday Yucatecan cooking, traditionally eaten on Mondays. Black beans are simmered with chunks of pork until both are tender and flavourful. It is served in a deep bowl bathed in chiltomate (roasted tomato and habanero sauce), with radish, coriander and red onion. A humble dish bursting with flavour.
History & Origin
Frijol con puerco is the Monday dish in Yucatan, a tradition so deeply rooted that restaurants and fondas across the Peninsula offer it as the dish of the day every start of the week. This custom has practical roots: Sunday was market day and families bought fresh beans and pork to prepare this comforting stew the following day. The dish is a perfect example of Yucatecan subsistence cooking, where simple ingredients are transformed into something extraordinary thanks to the condiments and sauces that accompany it. The chiltomate, a roasted tomato sauce with habanero chilli, is the soul of the dish and provides the characteristic heat of peninsular cuisine. The black beans used are the variety that grows on the Yucatan Peninsula, smaller and with a more intense flavour than other varieties. Tradition dictates that frijol con puerco be accompanied by white rice, chopped radish, fresh coriander and red onion pickled in bitter orange juice, creating a complete and nutritious dish that has fed generations of Yucatecans.
Estimated cost
£7.50
Total cost
£1.25
Per serving
* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets
Nutritional information per serving
420
Calories
28g
Protein
38g
Carbohydrates
18g
Fat
10g
Fibre
550mg
Sodium
* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.
Method
- 1
Soak the black beans the noche anterior. Drain and place in large pot with water fresh, epazote and a onion partida. Cook over medium heat.

💡 If using pot express, reduce the tiempo a 40 minutes.
- 2
When the beans lleven 30 minutes, anade the trozos of cerdo (costilla or espaldilla) and salt. Continua cocinando 1 hour mas or until ambos esten tiernos.

💡 No agregues salt to the inicio or the beans tardaran mas in cocerse.
- 3
Prepare the chiltomate: asa the tomatoes and the habanero directamente on the llama or in comal (flat griddle) until esten well chamuscados. Licua with salt.

💡 Roast the habanero entero for that of flavour without exceso of picor.
- 4
Frie the chiltomate in a little oil for 5 minutes until thickened and oscurezca. Set aside.

- 5
Finely chop the red onion, the coriander and the rabanos. Prepare estos condimentos in platitos separados.

💡 You can curtir the red onion in orange juice agria.
- 6
Serve the bean with puerco in plate hondo, banalo with the chiltomate and acompana with the condimentos frescos and rice white.

💡 Tradicionalmente come the lunes in all Yucatan.
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Founder, Recetas Mexas
Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 736+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for European kitchens. Based in Madrid since 2018.
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