1. Place the beans in a large mixing dish. Sort through the beans, pick out any shriveled or split beans and any rock fragments that may have gotten into the bag, and discard them.
2. Cover the beans completely with water (make sure there is at least 3 inches of water covering the top of the beans). Afterward, soak the beans for 8 hours or throughout the night on the counter.
3. Drain the beans and rinse them under cold water. (During the soaking procedure, the size of the beans will have doubled)
4. Move the beans into a Dutch oven or a big pot. Pour in 10 cups of water and the optional ingredients (if you choose to use them).
5. Allow the beans to reach a boil; afterward turn the heat down to a low level. Cook the beans this way for 2 to 2½ hours, keeping them covered. (At the two-hour mark, check on the beans and taste them). At this point, they should be soft and cooked all the way through but still firm and not mushy. If you find that the beans are not entirely done, cook them a little longer).
6. Take the cooked beans off the heat and use them in any recipe of your choice (some great examples to try are refried or charro bean recipes), or cool them entirely afterward and preserve them in an airtight container inside the refrigerator.

If you’d like to see more recipe ideas for pinto beans using the stovetop cooking method, we recommend that you check out this video recipe.