Homemade Pinto Beans

I often see the debate of whether to drain the water the beans are soaked in or not so I set out on an experiment this weekend. The other recipe I made was a slow cooker method so my experiment wasn't about cooking time but rather taste, texture, and color. This recipe won on all three things. I did add ham but that was the only change I made. This difference in the color of this one was shocking. It also had more depth of flavor and very few beans split. I do recommend rinsing the beans in a colander beforehand.