Southern Pinto Beans
from https://www.southernliving.com/

Sometimes there's nothing more comforting, cozy, and nourishing than a big bowl of pinto beans. Soup Beans, which are a favorite dish of folks raised in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are often made with ham hock, and while this recipe for pinto beans is similar, it only requires a few ingredients you probably already have in your fridge.

Bacon provides a smoky, salty base, although a smoked ham hock is often used. Fresh garlic and onion adds a little aroma and heat, while baking soda speeds up the cook time for traditional, dried beans.

The alkaline properties of baking soda speed along the breakdown of the beans as they cook. The basic properties of baking soda breaks down the naturally occurring structure of the bean faster, speeding up the cooking process while still preserving the snap of the bean skin.

With a relatively thin outer casing when cooked, pinto beans are velvety and smoothly textured, which makes them the bean of choice for popular dishes like refried beans and burritos, but they're also served often as a side or as a brothy, soupy main.

Like any batch of soup beans, pinto beans are delicious served with cornbread—no matter how they're flavored. You can also serve them with rolls, quick biscuits, toast, or any sort of crusty bread. Serve soup beans with just about any other meat like barbecue. Some folks enjoy these served over rice.

The hardest part about making pinto beans is the wait. Otherwise, this is a supremely easy dish. Here's a brief outline of the process; the full recipe is further below:

• Step 1. Cook the bacon. You need to render the fat so you can cook the beans in it. The bacon is then held until the very end as a garnish for the beans.
• Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients to the Dutch oven. All of them, except the bacon. Just put them right in.
• Step 3. Bring the beans mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the beans are creamy and tender. Garnish bowls of pinto beans with the crispy bacon.

1 lb. bacon, chopped (or a smoked ham hock)
1 lb. dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed [soaked overnight?]
1 small (6 oz.) yellow onion, peeled and halved
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups tap water

Cook the bacon:
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high; add bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 12 minutes. Remove about 1/2 cup bacon with a slotted spoon; set aside.

Add remaining ingredients to pot:
Add beans, onion, garlic, bay leaves, pepper, salt, and baking soda to pot; stir to combine. Add broth and water.

Simmer beans:
Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes. [the beans should start to take on a creamy consistency.

Serve with bacon:
Sprinkle with reserved crispy bacon before serving.