Garlic Refried Black Beans

Making homemade refried beans is really easy and so worth it.  You can control the taste and variety and amount of fat.  When I want to be indulgent, I use bacon grease, but usually I use Canola or Olive Oil to cook the beans.  This recipe is a variation on the "typical" refried beans.  I like to only use garlic to give the beans a real rich, creamy flavor.

Garlic Refried Black Beans

1 bag of dried black beans
4 - 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/4 C oil or bacon fat



Cook the dried beans according to the instructions.  Usually you have to soak them and then cook them for a couple hours.  Don't salt the water in the beginning.  It hardens the beans, and they take longer to cook.  Once they are soft, then you can add salt to taste.  Don't go overboard, just enough to add a little flavor.  Then puree the beans using an immersion or regular blender with some of the cooking liquid.  You want them to be a little runnier than what you want as refried beans.
After the beans are done, heat the oil or bacon fat to medium high in a pan and sauté the garlic and until they begin to get soft.  Be very careful not to cook the garlic too long because burnt garlic will make the beans taste bitter.  Take out all the garlic with a slotted spoon.  Add your pureed beans to the oil.  Cook the beans until they start to get nice and thick and you can smell that they are toasting a little bit.  Careful not to burn them!  

You can keep these beans in the fridge for a long time.  They are great in quesadillas, on tostadas and alongside some warm brown rice!