WineLovers Discussion Group

To the tune of Blazing Saddles:

I love good baked beans, so I was astounded when my friend said they didn't particularly care for them: "too sweet."

There's nothing better than homemade baked beans and I've tried different recipes over the years. The America's Test Kitchen recipe was a winner, but I had to add far more water than they called for or I would have had a burnt brick. I generally use the quick soak method instead of overnight and discard the water to mitigate any flatulence potential. Any favorite recipes for baked beans or tips?

But I will admit that I usually pop open a can of beans >oh, the humanity< because--silly me--I didn't think of starting a pot of baked beans a half-day earlier (and I probably wouldn't have bothered, anyway). I frequently dress up the beans, particularly if they're pork and beans and not baked beans, with several combinations and permutations of ingredients: minced onions, mustard, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoke flavoring, brown sugar, molasses, etc. Do you add anything?

I've tried a number of brands, some good, some not so good. I discovered a large can of Valley Gem Western Style Baked Beans that I bought for a pittance in a dollar store and was astounded at how good it was (price isn't everything). So let's hear about the brands you like.

Larry Greenly wrote: Any favorite recipes for baked beans or tips?

After you've been having steak for a long time, beans, beans taste fine.

I posted this on the old WLDG. My brother, who was born and raised in Niagara Falls, makes them for family dinners in Maine, where he;s been living for over 20 years and wows those Maine folks.

Grandpa LeMay's Baked Beans

Grandpa LeMay was my maternal grandfather, an old time French-Canadian and life-long bricklayer. He actually used to bake these beans in an earthenware pot, overnight, in his coal furnace. This simple recipe makes beans that are absolutely wonderful. (Incidentally, the addition of the baking soda eliminates the gas!)

1 lb. dried Pea Beans (or Navy beans)
1 small onion (peeled whole)
1 large piece salt pork (approx. ½ lb.)
1 tbsp. salt
1 cup molasses
½ tsp. baking soda

Soak beans overnight, changing water several times. Add baking soda. Cook on stove top until beans are tender. Drain. Preheat oven to 300deg. Put onion, salt pork, salt, molasses and beans in heavy pot with lid. Add water to cover beans. Bake for 6 - 8 hours with lid on. Remove lid for last hour.
Note: the onion disappears into the beans.
Shortcut: to avoid the time of soaking and cooking the beans, my mother will sometimes buy cheap beans in tomato sauce, put them in a strainer and rinse off the sauce.

I like Howie's recipe except using Jacobs Cattle Beans and substituting dark amber grade B maple syrup for the molasses.

We usually keep a can or two of Bush baked beans in the pantry. Isabella loves them, so they make a good emergency side dish when we've come home from work with no plans or time for cooking.

Mike

This has been my favorite recipe for the past couple of years. One thing I do differently than the recipe is saute the onions in the bacon fat prior to adding them. They don't cook down enough when just added raw then baked.

HOT AND SMOKY BAKED BEANS

Serve these hot or at room temperature.

6 bacon slices
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups purchased barbecue sauce
3/4 cup dark beer
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 to 6 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
6 15- to 16-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Transfer 2 1/2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet to large bowl. Finely chop bacon; add to bowl. Add onion and next 7 ingredients to bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in 4 to 6 teaspoons chipotle chilies, depending on spiciness desired. Stir in beans. Transfer bean mixture to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bake uncovered until liquid bubbles and thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 8 to 10.

Bon Appétit
July 1999


Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

From my friend Joe Wells.

Joe's Afterburner Beans

1 pound bacon chopped
1 pound smoked pork butt, pork chops
2 onion diced (Joe likes onions)
4 good size garlic cloves
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Cup favorite BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons ground New Mex chilis
2 tablespoons ground chipotle
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound pintos cooked with bay leaves and coarse chopped onion


Drain pintos and brown meat and onion together and save the bacon grease to put in the beans. Mix remaining ingredients. Blend all and bake at 350 degrees from 30 minutes up to 2 hours, covered. The longer you bake this, the better it is.


(Cynthia's note.... I don't use as much sweet stuff and I crank up the heat a bit.)

A chef I know in Virginia has an outstanding recipe that uses something like 7 different kinds of beans. I'll see if I can find it.

Baked Beans – This is adapted from my Mom’s recipe.

2 cups dried navy beans (or one bag)
2-3 strips bacon
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ to ½ cup molasses (or to taste)
1 small onion chopped (about ½ cup)

Soak beans overnight (or precook in pressure cooker until beans are tender). Put beans and soaking or cooking liquid into 2-quart covered casserole dish. Add salt, pepper, mustard, onion and molasses and mix well. Top with bacon, cover and bake at about 300 deg. for 3-4 hours. Additional molasses, salt and pepper can be added at any time during cooking.

Notes: I take them out every 1-1 ½ hours to stir and check the seasoning. I start with ¼ cup molasses and add more until they are right. Your beans must be as soft as you like when you add the molasses, because they won’t soften any more after that.

Her original recipe called for 1/2 lb. salt pork instead of bacon. I like either, but almost always have bacon on hand.

I've never made baked beans! Well, cassoulet yes, but not the kind you're talking about. It's just not a food I especially care for, and I don't do the kind of traditional meal that wouldn't be right without it. Sorry!

Jenise wrote:I've never made baked beans! Well, cassoulet yes, but not the kind you're talking about. It's just not a food I especially care for, and I don't do the kind of traditional meal that wouldn't be right without it. Sorry!

Traditional meal? I never knew there was such a thing with baked beans (baked ham dinner?). I've usually have them either at a picnic or as a side to cold cut sandwiches, hamburgs or hot dogs. My mother used to not only eat them for breakfast, but would even make baked bean sandwiches.

I've usually have them either at a picnic or as a side to cold cut sandwiches, hamburgs or hot dogs.

That's the traditional meal right there, Howie, you got it. And how a food that's really only good hot became a tradition at picnics, I'll never know!

Howie, I'm with you. They're great with hotdogs & hamburgers. I like them with baked ham and potato salad. My mom grew up in New England in the '20s and 30s, and baked beans (or bean hole beans) were a staple. She took them for school lunches, ate them for breakfast, and made sandwiches with them. Did you ever have bean hole beans baked in a cast iron pot in a pit of coals? Wonderful!

Linda R. (NC) wrote:Did you ever have bean hole beans baked in a cast iron pot in a pit of coals? Wonderful!

No, but when I was a kid, I had the ones my Grandpa baked overnight in the coal furnace in his stoneware pot. His recipe (see above) is very similar to the one you posted, only no mustard or pepper and a bit more molasses.