Whenever you make dried beans you need to pre-soak them. You will use this method if you are cooking them on the stove top or in a slow cooker. The only time I've found I don't need to soak dried beans is when I'm using an electric pressure cooker. To soak the beans you want to do this at least 12 hours prior to cooking. I like to soak my beans over night in a pot of water. You can always do that in the slow cooker (just don’t turn it on). Once the beans have soaked you simply rinse and strain in a colander. Then, the beans are ready to be cooked.