Good morning DFO!

Welcome to week 2 of March Madness AND another edition of Sunday Gravy.

I get it, that banner image didn’t exactly blow your mind now did it? I mean, what? A goddamn bowl of beans is supposed to “Wow” me?

So you’re saying you haven’t had a bowl of beans at some point in your life that just thoroughly amazed and altered your life view of what a bowl of beans could be?

Shit. Guess I got my work cut out for me today.

That bowl of beans in the picture isn’t just any random, somebody’s fucking grandma made it, bowl of beans. That’s a 15 bean soup WITH?

Leftover roast prime rib bones! From our recent Prime Rib episode.

Remember?

Did that get your attention yet?

NO?

Well fuck it then maybe you just don’t appreciate a rocking bowl of homemade beans. Ain’t my fault you haven’t had a good bowl of beans.

Or how about I prove it to you?

Are you willing to try that?

GOOD!

Let’s get busy.

Previously I’ve gone on and on about adding a bit of pork fat to a pot of beans. Trust me I still very much do this. It’s rare when you’ll have the opportunity to use a meaty beef bone in a soup or some beans and be astounded with the results.

I’ll endeavor to explain how. 

Nice and simple today. However don’t let the ease of prep fool you on the resulting deliciousness. This stuff is fucking delightful.

So obviously I had the leftover rib bones but there was another low level bit of inspiration for this particular batch-o-bean.

Let’s play “Find the inspiration!”

Would you believe that “tacos” were part of the inspiration?

Not just the tacos per se but actually it was…

The birria consomme!

We’ve now ordered these tacos from the same recently discovered taco place a disturbing number of times. Addiction is a hell of a thing.

They are so fucking good though. Ever dunked your taco into consomme before? I know, right? I hadn’t either and now I CAN’T STOP EATING THEM!

The consomme got me thinking it could add some depth, gravitas and a tiny bit of funk to whatever you wanted to apply it to.

Why not a pot of beans? WITH the leftover beef bones too! See? Is this idea clicking in your mind yet?

Jesus! You’re a tough fucking customer.

Just stand back as we get after this motherfucker.

Procure a bag of 15 beans soup.

Photo taken right after a successful round of cribbage I might add.

These beans are in basically every major supermarket out there in the dry bean section. I’m sure many of you have already tried them

Now these bags of beans come with a “Flavor packet.” Know how to handle that packet?

Smack it with a dirty shoe! Or just throw that motherfucker right in the trash. It’s absolute shite!

You’re better than that!

Next, sort and rinse as per all standard bean preparing protocol.

Quite the colorful little assortment there.

Give ’em a nice overnight soaking. Add a bit more water than you would think. These are some thirsty-ass beans.

The beans have rested overnight and now it’s time we introduce the spice players for our menu.

We will be using a teaspoon each of chili powder, paprika, marjoram and thyme. Also add in 2 bay leaves and about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.

Let’s check in on the beans and see how they’re doing.

Seem to be doing just fine. Give them a rinse again.

Now the secret flavor enhancer.

Those are our 2 leftover and saved prime rib bones!

This dish and maybe a pot of lentils are greatly leveled up with a leftover beef bone rather than a ham bone or ham hock. Shit just works, man!

At this time I added a 32 oz carton of beef stock, our leftover consomme…

and enough water to make the liquid equivalent of 6 cups for cooking the soup.

Damn right we’re going to need an onion and some garlic too.

Time to break out the new kitchen toy!

Yessir and yes ma’am. That’s a 7″ Nikiri kitchen knife made from Damascus steel! She’s a fucking beauty too. That’s a sexy motherfucker right there.

Yes, I’ve shared this photo previously but the photo enlarges real pretty.

Now let’s cut some shit up with it!

This damn thing is fucking BADASS!

How about some garlic next?

What you do with the garlic is lay the flat side of the knife on top of the garlic, give it a firm whack with your hand, remove the paper from the garlic and mince that shit up. It’s cool as fuck.

Get the beans, bones, onion, garlic and spices in the pot of liquid.

When this bastard reaches a boil…

reduce the heat to very low, cock a lid on there and simmer for about 2 hours.

Now since this shit has to simmer for a couple of hours, you may want to consider a bit of snackage while you wait.

That’s a sundried tomato and basil Bellavitano cheese. Despite its fancy-sounding handle it’s actually made in Wisconsin. It’s a hard cheese that handles flavor additions very well. It’s got a firm nutty texture and with the sundried tomato and basil added? Shit’s delicious. I can heartily endorse.

Now where were we?

Oh yeah, the beans. After two hours we should have something like this.

Looking lovely and the aroma will knock you right the fuck out.

Grab a pair of tongs and remove the beef bones. Let them cool a bit and remove the meaty bits still clinging on.

See? There are some quality meaty bits on there. Get the meat bits back into the pot and give a stir.

Bread! We’re going to need some crusty bread for this today.

That’s a slab of “Take and Bake” sourdough bread from La Brea bakery here in LA. You can find this at most stores out here.

The fuck are you waiting for? Dish up!

Please note the hot sauce. Use if you like but it’s not necessary. 

Get a closer look in that bowl.

Yep. I’m gonna eat the hell out of that.

Already possessing a low level heat from the cayenne the hot sauce can be adjusted to your taste. You really don’t need it but I just like some in mine.

This is meaty, rich, spice-infused, satisfying and just goddamn delicious. In addition you are getting about 2 months worth of fiber from this shit.

To address the obvious, you will have absolutely zero issues “Moving the mail” if you get what I’m saying. This also gets exponentially better with each day it sets up in the refrigerator.

Cheap, filling, delicious and satisfying?

Who doesn’t want that?

Convinced?

I hope so because I love this. It’s one of those things I get giddy about whenever I buy a rib roast because I KNOW some day not too long after enjoying the roast I will be having this dish to look forward to.

Hope you can give it a try.

Thanks for being there everyone. Enjoy the hoops marathon and be sure to come back again next week.

Be well out there.

PEACE!