Can I use pre-soaked uncooked beans in my slow cooker chili?

Question

The recipe I use calls for canned, and instructs to add them for the last hour of cooking time. If I add uncooked before the 8 hour process will they be tender and good?

Answer 1

Yes, uncooked beans will work.
There's some extra work you need to do with uncooked beans.

1. You can soak them overnight before you make the chili to rehydrate them. After the soaking, just rinse and they're ready to add at the beginning of the recipe instead of at the last hour.

or...

2. You can add the dried beans directly to the recipe at the beginning, but you'll need to add extra water since the dried beans will soak up a lot of liquid - about 2 cups of liquid for every cup of dry beans.

My recommendation is to let the beans soak overnight so they are hydrated and add them in the beginning of the cooking process.

In cooking class, it is commonly taught that salt will toughen beans. However, based upon my experience it takes a lot of salt for that to happen. I've cooked beans with salt pork or bacon, both of which have a lot of salt, and had no problems with the beans being tough. I'm just saying that you can add the beans and not worry about them being hard, especially if they're cooking 8 hours in a crock pot.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I often cook beans in a slow cooker. If they are well soaked, they cook very well. Put them in the bottom, so they are well covered with liquid, then any vegetables on top. Never add salt, no matter which cooking method, until the beans are tender, otherwise the skin toughens--just stir it in at the very end. Same goes for tomatoes and other acidic foods--add as late as possible, when beans are soft.
If you are using kidney beans it is important to boil them at a rolling boil for 10' before using, do this in a separate saucepan, drain, rinse and proceed. This only applies to kidney beans (the long red ones usually used in chili con carne) because they have a toxin which has to be neutralised by boiling rapidly for 10'. Other beans and lentils can be simply soaked and cooked in slow cooker without pre-boiling.

Answer 4

Overnight will suffice, but it's not really necessary in a slow cooker. Even if you are not using a slow cooker, soaking is not essential. Soaking came about as a way to save cooking fuel, but dried beans and peas will cook fine without pre-soaking; it just takes a little longer over the flame.

Answer 5

If you cook soaked beans for 8 hours most of them will be mush. But you do want to cook them about 4 hours.

By the way in Texas putting beans in chili is a felony.

Answer 6

No. Re-hydrated dried beans should not be cooked with salt or in an acidic broth such as tomato sauce. They will not cook to a tender stage even after 8 hrs. They cook best in plain water. But you can cook then with dried leafy herbs and ground pepper if desired. In fact, things such as onion will negatively affect cooking time for re-hydrated, dried beans; even small beans such as lentils.

Answer 7

Yes, be sure to add the raw soaked beans early in the process so they cook through. Do not adjust seasonings until the beans have cooked thoroughly. It's easy to over salt beans while they are cooking.

Answer 8

Yes, they should be as long as they are soaked

Answer 9

Yes you can!
You just saved yourself time and money.

Congrats!

Answer 10

I would make that substitution I think it would work.