Santa Maria Beans Recipe

This recipe is traditionally served with grilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip, Santa Maria-Style Salsa, and corn tortillas. Santa Maria has it’s own regional ingredients which lend to an amazing meal.

Santa Maria Beans

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This recipe is traditionally served with grilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip, Santa Maria-Style Salsa, and corn tortillas. Santa Maria has it's own regional ingredients which lend to an amazing meal.

Ingredients

• 1lb Pinquito Beans
• Water
• 2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 Large Onion (diced)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/3 cup Bacon Fat Drippings
• 1/2lb Ground Meat (pork, sausage, or beef)
• 1 cup Canned Tomato Sauce
• 2-3 cups Boiling Water

Note

Pinquito Beans are a specialty in the Santa Maria, California area. They are a small pinkish bean that is a cross between the Pink bean and a White Small Bean. If you can't find Pinquito Beans, you can substitute pink beans.

Directions

Step 1

Wash and pick over beans. Soak overnight with cold water. Usually you want to add enough water to cover the beans double. Drain before moving onto the next step. Optionally, you can choose cover the beans with boiling water and let stand until cool. Drain before moving onto the next step.

Step 2

In the bacon fat drippings, brown the ground meat. I chose thick ground pork.

Step 3

In a large pot, add the soaked beans and cover just barely with boiling water. Add the remaining ingredients, including the ground pork with the bacon fat, and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 2-3 hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce starts to thicken. It maybe necessary to add more boiling water through the cooking process, if needed.

This is another recipe from my sister Suz who got this recipe from her in-laws or from one of her college friends. I served these beans to a friend from Texas and she loved them and even said they would be allowed in Texas.

Unfortunately, when I went to make these Pinquito beans, I wasn’t well prepared and couldn’t find them in the two stores I went to. So, I wound up using the Pink Bean. They are a decent trade off if you can’t find Pinquito beans, but if you can, order them online at Amazon if you have time to wait for the delivery. When using the Santa Maria Pinquito Bean, you will find a thicker and richer gravy than you would from any other bean.

The Pinquito Bean is a cross between a pink bean and a small white bean and are a standard in Santa Maria style BBQ.

If you ever get a chance to stop into Santa Maria, you must order Santa Maria Tri Tip with Santa Maria Beans. Or, just make them at home for yourself. You will make everyone in your family happy… if you choose to share.

Enjoy!