REFRIED BEANS WITH LARD RECIPES

Steps:

• Start by peeling 2 garlic cloves and roughly chopping 1/2 onion.  Cook the onion and garlic in a dollop of oil over medium heat (you can leave the garlic cloves whole). 
• Once the onion is starting to brown, approximately 5-8 minutes, add 1 can beans (drained and rinsed), 2 chipotles in adobo, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/2 cup stock (or water). Let simmer for a few minutes until heated through and then add everything to a blender, combining well.  
• Take a final taste for seasoning and heat.  Add more salt if necessary and if you want more heat you can add more chipotles (or adobo sauce).
• Serve as is or saute them in some oil (or lard!) over medium heat for a few minutes to thicken them up.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  (Keep in mind that beans don't last long so eat 'em up soon!)

Steps:

• Sort through the beans and discard any rocks or shriveled beans. Rinse and drain well.
• Add beans to a pot and cover with 2-3 quarts of water, or so the water level is 2" above the beans. Add the roughly chopped onion and 2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings (or lard). 
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover. Let simmer for 1.5-2 hours.  Ensure that the water level is well above the beans by adding more water as they cook if necessary.  
• Start tasting them after 1 1/2 hours. If they are hard or grainy they need a little more time.
• Once cooked add 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  I also added a pinch of Mexican oregano at this point.  
• Give a final taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.  I added another generous pinch, so that is about 2 teaspoons total.   Serve immediately.
• If you want, portion them into 1 cup sized bags along with plenty of the broth for freezing.