Jalisco Charro Bean Stew (Frijoles Charros)

Jalisco gives you frijoles charros from ranch country, from Los Altos down into the kitchens around Guadalajara where a pot of beans can feed a family, a crew, or half a Sunday gathering. This is not chili. Do not bring me ground beef and canned beans and call it Mexican. This is a 32-state cuisine, and this pot belongs to charro country.

The beans are pinto, simmered until creamy but still whole, with pork rib for body, bacon for smoke, chile guajillo for color, chile de arbol for a clean bite, tomato and onion for sweetness, and epazote at the end because beans need their herb. My mother, jalisciense to the bone, wrote in her notebook: "epazote al final, no antes." She was right. Boil it for hours and you flatten it. Add it late and it wakes up the broth.

You cook this brothy. Not dry, not thick like a norteño carne con chile, and not sweet like barbecue beans from a can. The spoon should bring up beans, pork, chile-stained broth, and a little fat shining on the surface. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo. Sort the beans. Soak them. Build the pot properly. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.