Yucatecan black beans are not refried beans. They're served whole, in their broth, fragrant with epazote. The texture is silky, the broth is almost as good as the beans. Epazote is the herb that makes these distinctly Yucatecan — it has a wild, medicinal, slightly citrusy flavor that's impossible to describe until you've smelled it. If you can find it (Mexican grocery, sometimes mainstream stores), use it. If not, the beans are still worth making without it.
How it's made
1The Beans
Dried black beans cooked from scratch produce a rich, silky broth that canned beans can't replicate — the starch releases from the beans into the liquid as they cook. The habanero cooked whole (not cut) gives a fruity warmth without significant heat — the capsaicin stays mostly inside the intact pepper. Remove it before serving. This is a common Yucatecan technique.
- Sort and rinse 1 lb dried black beans. Soak overnight in cold water (optional but speeds cooking and improves digestibility). Or skip soaking and add 30 minutes to cooking time.
- Drain and rinse. Place in a heavy pot (your carbon steel or Dutch oven) with 8 cups fresh water.
- Add: half a white onion (whole), 4 garlic cloves (whole, unpeeled), 1–2 whole habaneros (do not cut them), and a few sprigs of epazote if you have it.
- Do not add salt yet — it toughens the bean skins if added too early.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover partially. Cook 1.5–2 hours until the beans are completely tender and the broth is thick and dark.
- Remove the habaneros and onion half. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins back into the pot.
- Now add salt — generously. Beans need more salt than you think.
- Add 2 tbsp lard or bacon fat and stir through. This rounds the flavor and gives the broth a silky quality.
- Serve in a bowl with the broth — not drained. Garnish with a drizzle of crema and a few pickled red onions if you made them.
2Pressure Cooker Option
If you have an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker, this takes 35–40 minutes instead of 2 hours with identical results.
- Same ingredients, same order. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes (unsoaked) or 25 minutes (soaked).
- Natural pressure release for 15 minutes.
- Add salt, lard, and finish as above.
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