The SO made pinto beans Tuesday. Now, when I make beans, I fill the pot with porky goodness. Salt pork, ham hock, bacon… Something. When the SO makes beans, they’re usually black beans that she uses on a salad. No meat. (Actually, when I make black beans they’re usually vegetarian.) How will these pintos be?
When the beans were done, she made a point of not telling me what’s in them. Not that I asked. ‘See if you can guess what I put in them, and I’ll tell them after you’ve finished eating.’ Hm… Definitely meaty-tasting. Ham? We don’t have any ham. Bacon? None thawed, and she didn’t get any out of the freezer. Maybe she put some mustard in them? Having mustard might give the illusion of a bit of ham.
She finally told me: Liquid smoke. (The thought occurred to me, but I didn’t ask.) It worked a treat, I tells ya! The smoke gave the illusion of smoked meat, but there was no meat in the pot. Just beans, water, salt, and a little liquid smoke. The curious thing was that I definitelyhad the mouth feel of some sort of fat. Aside from the trace amount of fat that exists naturally in beans, there was none. Definitely a tasty meal (with cornbread muffins), and guilt-free.