First, rinse the dried beans and remove any stones or dirt. Cut the pork into thin strips and rinse. Cover the beans with water, add the pork and garlic and boil until tender over medium heat (low boil), about 2 1/2 hours. Beans should always be covered with water. If needed, add more hot water to cover—especially if you want more bean broth. When the beans are tender, season with salt, to taste, and chili powder. Then let the beans sit and absorb these flavors for a while.

Cook's tip: If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can soak the beans in water overnight. Then drain and begin the cooking steps. Also, salting the beans when they first begin to cook can make them tough, so always salt after beans are tender.