Clara's Cuban Black Beans

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by T.G

Carlos,

On the two cool downs, do you let the pressure cooker naturally drop in pressure after removing from the heat or drop it rapidly by using cold water?

Or does it even matter?

Interesting question.
Not sure.
Will ask her.

Also, on second period of cooking down, leave pot open and reduce heat.
Cook that approximate time or until liquid consistency to thickness you like.
The less watery, the better.

Here is a Cuban's best kept secret......if you think they taste good on day one, go right ahead and enjoy it.
We prefer to wait until day two and three to really judge them.

We just had them last night from when she made them on the 24th. Man they were way better than on that first day.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Interesting question.
Not sure.
Will ask her.

Also, on second period of cooking down, leave pot open and reduce heat.
Cook that approximate time or until liquid consistency to thickness you like.
The less watery, the better.

Here is a Cuban's best kept secret......if you think they taste good on day one, go right ahead and enjoy it.
We prefer to wait until day two and three to really judge them.

We just had them last night from when she made them on the 24th. Man they were way better than on that first day.

I used the rapid cool down (running water) yesterday, I figured do that and stop them from cooking for the extra 5-10 minutes of cooking that occurs otherwise as I could always throw the lid back on and cook them for a bit longer if necessary,

Just had them again tonight - excellent again.

But, you do have me confused on the lid on/off for the second part of the cook now....

Originally Posted by Blueface

Top on again, as when you first started.

I went with lid on, with the weight barely venting and ended up with a really watery end result, and since you mentioned "Serve as soup or over white rice" I figured, "ok, different style - rather than a heavy broth, these beans are in a light broth and you just use a slotted spoon or something for the "over rice" part.

Killer soupy beans.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by T.G

I used the rapid cool down (running water) yesterday, I figured do that and stop them from cooking for the extra 5-10 minutes of cooking that occurs otherwise as I could always throw the lid back on and cook them for a bit longer if necessary,

Just had them again tonight - excellent again.

But, you do have me confused on the lid on/off for the second part of the cook now....



I went with lid on, with the weight barely venting and ended up with a really watery end result, and since you mentioned "Serve as soup or over white rice" I figured, "ok, different style - rather than a heavy broth, these beans are in a light broth and you just use a slotted spoon or something for the "over rice" part.

Killer soupy beans.

Adam,
It is so tough for me to describe the consistency she looks for.
However, that is up to taste I guess.
Some like runny beans, some like a thicker consistency.
In the end, the flavor will be the same, as long as the beans are cooked through.
When I see thicker, I mean that if you pas a fork through the mixture, and pick up beans with it, the liquid will run through the fork but will have some slight body to it, as opposed to just being colored water through a fork. You don't want it thick like oatmeal at all but you don't want water with dye. Hope that makes some sense.

For the cool down, to release the pressure and be able to open the lid, she puts it in the sink with cold water, until you see the pressure cap release all the way. If you have time, you can also just let it sit on the stove but the water is the best way to go. The second cooking period entails cooking them with the lid open, with no more pressure from the lid.

She also mentioned that sometimes, the beans may not cook right during the first cooking period when the lid is on. You should always test them to see if any are broken and if soft to touch. If so, you are OK. If hard, you need to put the lid back on and give them more time.

Enjoy.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Adam,
It is so tough for me to describe the consistency she looks for.
However, that is up to taste I guess.
Some like runny beans, some like a thicker consistency.
In the end, the flavor will be the same, as long as the beans are cooked through.
When I see thicker, I mean that if you pas a fork through the mixture, and pick up beans with it, the liquid will run through the fork but will have some slight body to it, as opposed to just being colored water through a fork. You don't want it thick like oatmeal at all but you don't want water with dye. Hope that makes some sense.

For the cool down, to release the pressure and be able to open the lid, she puts it in the sink with cold water, until you see the pressure cap release all the way. If you have time, you can also just let it sit on the stove but the water is the best way to go. The second cooking period entails cooking them with the lid open, with no more pressure from the lid.

She also mentioned that sometimes, the beans may not cook right during the first cooking period when the lid is on. You should always test them to see if any are broken and if soft to touch. If so, you are OK. If hard, you need to put the lid back on and give them more time.

Enjoy.

Thanks for clarifying Carlos.

Your description of the consistency makes perfect sense, in fact, that's about what I would aim for in the past when cooking the beans in a pot/saucepan. My experience with a pressure cooker is zip, so I'm still figuring this thing out.

The funny thing is, as a soup, I kind of like them this way with rice added. I'd have to refine and tweak a few things once I better understand the cooker, but all in all, they're still quite good, and like you said, the flavor is all about the same.