The Border Table · Source Edition
Refried Beans with Shortening
Pinto beans cooked until tender, then mashed in a lightly greased skillet.
The owner’s short 2021 frijoles refritos formula, separate from the site’s current bean recipe.
Cook it
The owner’s short 2021 frijoles refritos formula, separate from the site’s current bean recipe.
- Cook the beans. Combine the pinto beans and water in a pot and cook gently until the beans are tender, about 1½ hours according to the original card. Add the tablespoon of salt near the end of cooking.
- Work in the first fat. Warm the ½ cup shortening in a small skillet, then add it to the beans. Continue cooking and stir frequently until the fat is absorbed and the beans are no longer watery. The card also mentions bacon drippings as an optional flavor choice.
- Mash in the skillet. Warm about 1 tablespoon more shortening in a skillet. Spoon in the beans and mash while stirring until smooth enough to spread and the added fat is absorbed. Remove from the heat.
Serve it
Serve warm beside rice or a combination plate. Loosen with a spoonful of bean cooking liquid if the beans tighten while standing.
Understand it
What makes this version work
The source uses two stages of fat: the listed half cup is absorbed into the cooked beans, then roughly another tablespoon appears in its final skillet instruction. That extra spoonful was omitted from the old ingredient list, so it is spelled out here rather than silently lost. Add salt only after the beans have softened, as directed. Mash to the texture you like; the bean skins can remain visible even when the overall mixture is smooth.
Know it
The recorded recipe and its place at the table
Frijoles refritos means beans cooked again in fat, but recipes differ in bean type, fat and final texture. This page keeps the owner’s 2021 pinto-bean and shortening method. It is separate from the current Refried Beans page because that recipe uses a different formula. The archive does not identify an inventor or claim this precise quantity originated in one town.
Sources and method
About this version
The ingredient proportions and core method come from the owner’s 2021 Authentic Tex-Mex Recipes card. The Border Table has clarified the instructions for readers without claiming an undocumented inventor or origin for the exact formula. The external source gives broader culinary context; it does not authenticate the owner’s private recipe.
- Texas State Historical Association, Tex-Mex Foods.
- FoodSafety.gov, Four Steps to Food Safety — refrigeration and safe handling guidance where relevant.
See our corrections policy to suggest an update.
