salt, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaves to tasteoptional
Instructions
Empty your black beans into a colander and sift through them, removing any small stones or other beans.
Rinse the beans, and then dump them into the crock pot. Add the 12 cups of water and any optional seasonings, then cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours. If you decide to use salt, I recommend adding it during the last hour. I never add salt, and I think it tastes fantastic….but to each his own! My beans usually take a bit over 4 hours to fully cook. You can tell they are done by removing one bean and blowing on it. If the skin easily peels back from the bean, they are done.
I remove the lid and allow them to cool for an hour or two, then use a slotted spoon to portion them into 1½ cup servings. A 2lb bag usually gives me 7 cans worth of black beans. If I have room in my freezer I store them in mason jars. When I’m tight on space I use sandwich sized ziploc bags and freeze them flat. Then just thaw before using.