HOLIDAY PINTOS

Ingredients

2 pounds dry pinto beans
4 medium onions, chopped and divided
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and divided
1 pound small smoked link sausage
1 pound bacon
2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chilies
Salt, pepper, cilantro and hot sauce to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Preparation

Sort and wash beans. Place in a large pot with 12-15 cups water. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1-4 hours. Drain and rinse. Add 8-10 cups water to beans, along with 1 chopped onion and 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for several hours, until beans are tender. (May be cooked in large crockpot.) Cook sausage on grill; cut into small pieces, and set aside. Slice bacon in small pieces and fry in a skillet. Remove bacon from skillet. Sauté remaining chopped onions and sliced garlic cloves in reserved bacon drippings until tender; drain. Add to beans, along with bacon, sausage and diced tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, cilantro, hot sauce and lime juice to taste. Continue to simmer 30 minutes longer. Serve with jalapeno cornbread. Freezes well. Makes 20-25 main-dish servings.