Black Beans and Chorizo

95% to 99% of the recipes on my blog are my recipes and I have cooked before I post them. I hope the publishers of "Fifty From The Trail", don't come after me for this but I am giving this as a sample of the kind of recipes you will find in these two books. The cook time is rather long and well worth it, but you can shorten the time by over night soaking and ever more by using caned beans. I much prefer the long cooking for a better bean dish. Do this on a day you have the time, but are close enough to change the charcoals ever hour. I would serve it with my "Mexican Corn Bread", (April, 8, 2010 ) and Jalapeño Poppers. In the book it is cooked in a "Pot & Skillet". My instructions will read Dutch ovens. Have fun and thanks for visiting my Blog.

1 pound dried black beans
3 quarts cold water
1 cup onions, divided
3 tablespoons lard or bacon fat( drippings), divided
1 teaspoon fennel seeps
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound chorizo or Italian sausage*


Rinse beans; put in a deep 10" or 12" Dutch oven and cover with water. Add ½cup chopped onion and 2 tablespoons lard; bring to a boil covered with lid. Place 18 charcoal under oven.When starts to boil, reduce charcoals to 13 or 14 and cook at a slow boil for 1 to 2 hours or until beans are soft and skins begin to open. Add fennel seeds and salt. Continue cooking Until bean are very soft and liquid thickens. ( after 45 minutes start a new set of charcoals, and change at 1 hour. Remove all ash from preveus Charcoals). Fry sausage and ½ cup onion in a 12" Dutch oven over 18 charcoals, breaking sausage onto small pieces. Cook until sausage is done and onions tender. Add 1 cup of beans, mashing lightly.Cook over high heat, gradually adding more beans. Add lard if needed. When half of the beans are fried, lower head ( remove 6 charcoals.) and add remaining beans. Cook and stir until well-mixed and heated through.
Makes 4 or 5 servings. or two at my camp.

* I prefer chorizo over Italian. Chorizo is Mexican Sausage.