On Apr 30, 2:38*pm, notbob > wrote:
> On 2011-04-30, Ophelia > wrote:
>
> > Are these beans left over from baked beans? *
>
> Like sf sez, they're basically pinto beans and rendered pig fat. *Ya
> cook the beans, then add lard, bacon fat, etc, while mashing and
> reheating (refried) in a skillet or pot. *I've seen taqueria's use a
> big ol' Robot Coupe stick blender to mash. *Try different fats for
> different flavors. *I've seen some recipes call for half lard and half
> rendered beef suet. *I always include some bacon fat for the flavor.
> Most Mexican carniceria's (meat mkt) sell rendered lard from when they
> make chicarones (pork cracklins). *Better than using packaged lard,
> which is hydrogenated.

Not all packaged lard is hydrogenated. Some brands are kept in the
cold case and are natural. Still, the stuff from the carniceria would
be fresher.
>
> nb

--Bryan