# Fat-free pinto beans

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 21, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971 "2013-02-21T15:02:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971/1 "2013-02-21T15:02:13Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971/2 "2013-02-21T15:40:10Z")

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Smoked paprika also works well for infusing smoke flavor into vegetarian dishes, if you want more ideas. ETA: As do chipotles, of course. ETA2: But you would need some fat there to get it right. Interesting that Liquid Smoke could reproduce some of that mouthfeel.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971/3 "2013-02-21T15:43:53Z")

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I don’t know if it was the liquid smoke that imparted the mouth feel. It may have just been these particular beans. I thought she may have added some oil, but she didn’t.

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**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-free-pinto-beans/650971/4 "2013-02-22T01:21:05Z")

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I rarely add fat in the way of salt pork or ham hocks. But I wouldn’t think of cooking pintos or similar beans without onion. Yum.