Ham and beans ready to eat in little over an hour with no adding water or tending to the pot? Depending on what method you choose...absolutely.
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Pressure Cooker Ham & Beans
Yield: 6-8 servings
Approximate Total Time:
Soak Method: Soaking: 8-12 hours Cooking/Finishing: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Quick-Soak Method: 1 hour, 50 minutes
No-Soak Method: 2 hours
Electric Pressure Cooker Size: 6 quarts
Soak/Quick Soak Method
1 pound dried pinto beans
Water
1 tbsp. Crisco, lard, or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of cooked, diced ham*
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak Method: At least 8 hours before cooking, sort the pinto beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt. Rinse the beans, and put them into a large container. Add 8 cups (2 quarts) of water. Let the beans soak for 8-12 hours. Finish with Cooking Method described below.
Quick-Soak Method: Sort the pinto beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt. Rinse the beans, and put them into the pressure cooker pot. Add 6 cups of water. Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 2 minutes on High pressure. Once the 2-minute cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then open the steam vent to release the remaining pressure (Quick Release). Finish with Cooking Method described below.
Cooking Method: Drain the pinto beans, rinse, and add to the pressure cooker pot. Pour in 5 cups of water, and stir in the Crisco. Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 20 minutes on High pressure. Once the 20-minute cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally, which will take about 24 minutes.
Remove lid. Stir in ham. If broth is too thin for your liking, select CANCEL, then select SAUTE, and adjust so it's on the "More" or "High" setting. Cook and stir until broth is the desired consistency. Select CANCEL, and then select KEEP WARM. Salt and pepper to taste.
No-Soak Method
1 pound dried pinto beans
Water
1 tbsp. Crisco, lard, or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups of cooked, diced ham
Salt and pepper to taste
Sort the pinto beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt. Rinse the beans, and put them into the pressure cooker pot. Add 6 cups of water, and stir in the Crisco. Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 70 minutes on High pressure. Once the 70-minute cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally, which will take about 20 minutes.
Remove lid. Stir in ham. If broth is too thin for your liking, select CANCEL, then select SAUTE, and adjust so it's on the "More" or "High" setting. Cook and stir until broth is the desired consistency. Select CANCEL, and then select KEEP WARM. Salt and pepper to taste.
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*If I don't have leftover ham in the freezer, I use Farmland Smoked Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces. I cut off any fat or rind and then dice enough to make 1 1/2 cups. The remaining ham can be frozen for the next pot of beans. :)
Cornbread is the perfect side for ham and beans, and I have an easy, delicious recipe for it that can be made while your beans are cooking!
Cornbread: http://easyaspiecanbe.blogspot.com/2014/02/cornbread.html
Why should you soak beans? An article published by The New York Times tells you everything you need to know about storing and cooking beans. "Soaking your beans helps them cook faster and more evenly, and it can also make them easier to digest."
Adding a fat not only adds flavor, but it will keep the foam from clogging the vent. To read the whole article, click on this link: https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/21-how-to-cook-beans?regi=1&join_cooking_newsletter=true®ister=google
