Always buy the freshest pinto beans. The lighter the color, the fresher the beans, and the better your dish.

• Sort the beans, removing the broken beans and stones.
• Rinse the beans with cold water and drain (do not pre-soak)
• Add the beans and boiling water to the crock pot and turn it on High.
• Add the garlic & raw bacon.
• Cover the crock pot & cook on High for about 2 1/2 hours, stir periodically, or until the beans are soft.

After the beans are done, add salt to taste. Use as a side-dish, or for a complete meal, serve over a bed of hot white rice and top with chopped onions, tomatoes, grated cheese, and salsa.

I've prepared beans all my life, but learned this secret in the past few years: Never add sugar or tomato products before or while cooking; these inhibit softening of the beans. This seems to apply to all legumes, including lentils.