In the Bean Pot...Quick Starting Beans

I am amazed with my hubby...not starry-eyed amazement...more the "Really?" kind of amazement. This man who doesn't seem to hear what I say most of the time,  remembered me saying I would make a pot of venison chili during the next cold front. I said that? The venison isn't the problem since he hunts and keeps the freezer full (his job) but I wasn't ready for a pot a chili. I had some of the ingredients on hand but no cans of beans, then I remembered I had dry beans. I thought I would share a quick start method for beans just in case an overnight soak is out of the question...like in my case.

I wanted to make chili with a variety of beans....black, red, pink, pinto, and navy...all of which I had on hand....because sometimes I just don't want to go to the store and I want something different. 

I took about a 1/2 cup of each of the dried beans and put them in a pot. I picked through the beans to make sure there wasn't any stones (I found one once), then rinsed the beans in cold water.

Next I covered the beans with cold water. 

Since I was making chili and these were going to be Chili Beans (sans can...I am practicing my French) I added a little cumin and garlic to the water for seasoning.

I then brought the beans to a boil. The beans boiled about 2-5 minutes then were turned down to a simmer. The beans then simmered for about 2-3 hours until soft. That gave me time to clean up, do laundry, and all the other stuff I needed to do in the house. 

The chili meat and sauce was started separately in another pot. Everything then went into the slow cooker on high. 

The chili was ready in about 6 hours. The slow cooker gave me enough time to shop, go for a walk, and do whatever else I needed to get done outside the house. 

 The chili came out great and was a big hit with the hubby. 
The quick start isn't as fast as canned beans but the beans were awesome...and I didn't have to make a special trip to the store....which gave me more time to goof off....
Post by Eileen...who's GoofingOff.