King's Crown wrote:
>
> The below recipe actually turned out quite good, but the beans just never
> got as soft as they should be. I cooked them for 7 hours on low and then 2
> hours on high when I saw the beans were still hard. After 9 hours I was
> home for the day and dumped the whole thing out into a large pan and put it
> on the stove. I simmered another 2 hours. This thicken the sauce to a
> really tasty BBQ sauce and the beans were edible, but still not as soft as
> they should be. I don't want to give up on this recipe. I just wondered
> what was going on with my beans? Anyone else ever have this problem?
> Cheers, Lynne


Beans could be old. Then they won't soften properly.
Soak the beans overnight, rinse and drain before cooking.
Boil the beans for an hour first before adding seasonings. Salt and
sugar can toughen beans and there is a lot of both in that recipe.


>
> Slow Cooked Ranch-Style Brisket And Beans
>
> 1 pound dried pinto beans
> 2 cups hot water
> 1 large onion chopped
> 1-1/2 cups ketchup
> 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
> 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
> 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
> 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
> 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
> 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
> 3 pounds beef brisket -- boned, trimmed of fat
>
> ---------------------------------
> In a 4 or 5-quart electric slow cooker, combine the pinto beans, water, and
> onion. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce,
> mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, seasoned salt, and liquid smoke. Stir half of
> the ketchup mixture into the beans in the slow cooker. Place the brisket on
> top of the beans; cut to fit into the pot if necessary. Spread the remaining
> ketchup mixture over the top of the brisket Cover and cook on the low heat
> setting 9 to 10 hours, stirring once or twice, if possible, until the beans
> and beef are tender. Skim off any excess fat from the top. To serve, slice
> the meat across the grain and serve with the beans
>
> Yield: 6 servings