Textual Chef Textual Chef

Cornbread and Beans

Smoky, slow-simmered pinto beans served alongside golden, crisp-edged buttermilk cornbread for a classic hearty meal.

140 minMediumServes 6480 cal/serving

AmericanDinnerStovetop and OvenHigh FiberStandardNut-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 lb smoked ham shank
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. 1

    In a large pot, combine 2 cups soaked overnight dried pinto beans, 1 diced yellow onion, 1 lb smoked ham shank, and 6 cups chicken broth.

  2. 2

    Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes until dried pinto beans are soft and smoked ham shank reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

  3. 3

    Preheat oven to 400°F and grease an 8-inch cast-iron skillet.

  4. 4

    Whisk together 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 2 tsp baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

  5. 5

    Stir in 1 cup buttermilk and 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter until just combined, then pour batter into the skillet.

  6. 6

    Bake cornbread for 20 minutes until golden, then serve warm with simmered dried pinto beans.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Cornbread and Beans?

As written, 140 minutes: 20 of prep and 120 of cooking. The longest single stretch is the hands-off wait in step 1, overnight, or about 8 hours. That wait sits outside the stated prep and cook times, so plan around it.

What temperature do I cook Cornbread and Beans at?

For Cornbread and Beans, the target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 2. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork. The oven is also used at 400 F (about 205 C) in step 3.

Why does Cornbread and Beans say not to overmix?

Step 5 reads: "Stir in 1 cup buttermilk and 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter until just combined, then pour batter into the skillet." Stirring develops gluten, and gluten makes quick batters tough and tunneled. Stop at step 5 while a few streaks of flour remain; they hydrate on their own.

What can I use instead of buttermilk in Cornbread and Beans?

The entry for Cornbread and Beans calls for 1 cup buttermilk. In its place: Stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a cup of milk and let it stand five minutes. Plain yogurt thinned with milk also works.

Can I make Cornbread and Beans gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Cornbread and Beans is 1 cup all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How do I store and reheat Cornbread and Beans?

Refrigerate what is left of Cornbread and Beans within two hours and eat it within three days. Reheat covered in a 300 F oven until warmed through.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More American entries

All American recipes · All Dinner recipes · All Pinto Beans recipes