Pinto Beans

4 cups Dried Pinto Beans
4 slices Thick Sliced Bacon
salt
pepper

Measure four cups of beans and rinse them under cool water. If you see any little strange looking bits in there, pick them out and discard. Throw the beans into the pot. Now put some water in the pot…cover the beans by a good two inches.
Now take four slices of thick-sliced bacon (or one slice per cup of dry beans.)
Slice them into 1-inch pieces. And throw ‘em in the pot. The bacon adds a nice flavor and a slight saltiness to the beans, but you could certainly leave it out if you want your beans to be more lowfat, though I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do that. Now bring pot to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. We’ll add seasoning later on. After the beans have been simmering now for about two hours. The bean juice will be thick and yummy. (Or is it gravy? Or sauce? I haven’t decided.) Now it’s time for seasoning.

Start with 1 teaspoon salt. You can always add more later. Now add 2 teaspoons black pepper.

Stir together well and check the seasoning. You might want to add a little more salt, but be aware the cornbread with which you’ll serve the beans contains salt. So don’t overdo it.