Baked Beans: Recipes

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Baked Beans: Recipes

When it comes to baked beans, you can go the authentic route with dried beans cooked for hours. Or you can buy some good canned baked beans and doctor them up. Some recipes for both methods.

Boston Baked Beans

Recipe courtesy of the Boston Globe, adapted from "New England Cooking"

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound navy or pea beans
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

PREPARATION

Discard any discolored beans. In a large bowl, combine the beans with plenty of cold water and soak overnight for 6 to 8 hours.

Drain the beans. In a large pot, combine the beans and enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes or until they are just tender (it may take longer if the beans are old or the soaking time was short). Drain the beans and set aside the cooking liquid.

Set the oven at 325 degrees. In a bean pot or deep casserole with a lid, combine the beans, onion, mustard, dark and light brown sugars, molasses, and salt. Add enough of the cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Stir to blend them.

Bring the liquid to a boil on top of the stove, then transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes to make sure the beans don't dry. Add more cooking liquid if necessary.

When the beans are tender, uncover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more to make a slightly crusty top. Serves 6

Baked Beans in Bean Pot

Recipe courtesy of Durgin Park restaurant in Boston

INGREDIENTS:

Use a 2 1/2-quart bean pot or covered casserole

1 pound beans*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound salt pork
1/2 medium onion, peeled and uncut
4 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
* Use California pea beans, York State beans or small white beans.

PREPARATION:

Soak beans overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 325° F. Place the baking soda in a Dutch oven and fill half way with water. Bring to a boiland add the beans. Boil for 10 minutes.

Drain beans in a colander and run cold water through them. Set aside. Dice the salt pork (available in the bacon section of the grocery store) into 1-inch squares. Put half of the salt pork on the bottom of the bean pot, along with the onion. Put beans in the pot. Put the remaining salt pork on top of the beans. Mix the sugar, molasses, mustard, salt and pepper with 3 cups of hot water and pour over the beans. Cover pot with lid and place the pot into the preheated oven. Bake for 6 hours.

Check pot periodically to check the amount of liquid. Add water to the beans slowly as needed to keep them moist; do not flood them.

Remove the pot from the oven and serve. Makes about 7 cups.

Easy Baked Beans

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion, diced
2 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a Dutch oven, mix onion, pork and beans, mustard, maple syrup, light brown sugar, ketchup, and lemon juice.

Top with the bacon pieces. Bake, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Easy Baked Beans 2

INGREDIENTS

4 slices bacon
½ cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 (1 lb.) cans pork and beans

PREPARATION Cook bacon until crisp and onion until tender. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and prepared mustard. Mix well.

Add pork and beans. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.