Our Rotary club hosted an international friendship exchange this weekend with some Australian Rotarians.  One of our dinners was a BBQ potluck, and I volunteered to bring pork and beans.  Wanting to serve something representative of this side of the pond, I went for the west coast: a Mexican cowboy version of pork and beans.  It actually was very good, and I promised my Aussie friends that I would post the recipe on my blog.  Sorry, no pictures!  Here’s the recipe:

1/2 big yellow onion (diced) (about 1 C diced)

2 T bacon fat (or peanut oil)

½ lb of chorizo sausage–(I used the uncured variety.  You could also used Italian sausage.)

3    15 oz cans of black beans (do not drain)

1-2 t finely diced hot peppers (jalapenos, habeneros, serranos—whatever you like depending upon heat–I used jalapenos.)

2T finely diced garlic

Salt and pepper (liberally applied)

2 t or more chile powder

1 t ground cinnamon

½ C shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or other white melty cheese)

1 sliced jalapeno (or pickled jalapenos)

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onions in the bacon fat ‘til translucent.  Add chorizo and cook until just barely done.  Add the diced peppers and garlic and heat ‘til they smell great/cook through.  Add the beans, S&P, chile powder and cinnamon to taste.  Heat through.  Top with cheese and jalapeno slices.  Keep warm in the oven.  ( I transferred mine to a slow cooker prior to adding the cheese and jalapenos, then topped it with those.)

Alternate:  some people like to add 1 t cocoa powder in addition to the spices.

This visit gave me ideas for future posts:  What is Chorizo and Why Do I Like It Despite its Weird Ingredients?  and  Aniter and Jim: Our New Best Buds

Hasta la vista, amigos!