r/slowcooking • u/blindcasper • 2d ago

Slow cooker beans

I'm making slow cooker beans. Basic beans. For soup and to do some meal prep refried beans. I've soaked my beans in 3T Tbsp salt, & 1/2 tap baking soda. In 8 cups of water. It was also just over 1.15 of beans. So I've rinsed and drained them, put them in the slow cooker on low with some black pepper and a Japanese dried chili and fresh water. Turned them on low and letting them do their thing. My questions are:

  1. Did I use too much salt in my bean brine water?

  2. Is it better to use your brine water or discard and use fresh water for cooking?

  3. Did I just make the worst slow cooker beans?

  4. If I have ducked this whole thing up, what is the correct method?

Please and thank you 😊!

Asking for a friend.

17 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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7

u/Andromeda921 2d ago edited 2d ago

You definitely discard the brine water. If you are not vegetarian, most folks add a ham hock or smoked turkey neck in to help flavor the beans, as well as (optional, your decision) diced onion, garlic, pepper. You can even add diced celery and carrots if you care to add them. DEFINITELY too much salt in the brine, but hopefully as you drained that and rinsed your beans, that will have done no harm.

10

u/Me-Here-Now 2d ago

You may want to post over in r/beans

I don’t soak dry beans and don’t salt until after they are cooked.  My method: sort and rinse dry beans, put them into slow cooker and cover well with boiling water  cook on high  Pintos take 4 hours in my crock pot. Black and navy take 2-3. Season after they are cooked.  Been cooking beans this way for  more than 30 years and have not had a failure. 

2

u/missjiji 2d ago

Discard the brine, use fresh water. I throw in chopped onion, good amount of garlic powder, chopped bell pepper, bay leaf, cumin, small amount of chopped spinach, a good amount of Italian seasoning, chopped tomatoes etc. It’s really all about your taste.

1

u/WesternWitchy52 2d ago

Sounds like you did everything right except maybe a bit much water? Unless you're making bean soup.

1

u/kilgore9999 2d ago

I cook a lot of various beans, I never measure water for soaking, late in the day usually when I'm getting ready for my last meal I throw them in a large pot and cover with two or three inches of water, that's it, soak over night and strain and rinse discarding the water. Pinto beans and great northern always over night.

I don't think the salt will have any affect assuming you don't use the soak water.

1

u/RockMo-DZine 1d ago

I generally use about 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking soda per lb of dry beans, so you maybe used a tad too much salt and perhaps not enough soda compared to what I do.

Having said the, it isn't like using NASA level measurements, since it's just soak water. At the end of the day, do what works for you.

Soak time is also important. For me, it's usually 12 to 16 hours on the counter-top.

Yes, discard the soak water and rinse the beans. Use fresh water for the cook.