We had friends over last night (for our monthly chavurah dinner party), so I missed the game. I grilled burgers, made margaritas (on the rocks; 3 parts mix, 2 parts triple sec, 2 parts Sauza Blanco), and I made baked beans. Others brought a big fruit salad and "S'mores bars" (zomg!)
Brian's baked beans:
| 1 lb Great Northern beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked | 1 medium onion, finely chopped |
| 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped | 4 cups water |
| 1/2 tsp ground ginger | 1 tsp ground mustard |
| 1 tsp black pepper | 1 tbsp kosher salt |
| 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes | 1/2 cup brown sugar |
| 3 cloves | 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon |
| 1 cup boiling water | 1/2 cup cider vinegar |
| 1/2 cup ketchup | 4 tbsp dark soy or 1/4 c. molasses |
| 1 tbsp Worcestershire | 1-2 tbsp prepared mustard |
Bring the beans, onion and garlic to a boil in the 4 cups of water, lower to a simmer and cook for ~45 minutes until the beans are almost done. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour over the beans and bring the pot back to the boil. Cover and put in oven preheated to 275. Bake ~6-7 hours, checking the water level and stirring occasionally the last two hours, adding extra water if needed. Uncover for the last 20-30 minutes to let a "crust" form on top (if desired). Or do what I did -- pour the mix into your crock pot for 4-5 hours, then back into your cast iron Dutch oven to simmer for an hour, then finish in the oven for 30 minutes (all because I didn't get the dish started early enough; the crock pot should work fine if you have all day, although the oven finish improves the texture by thickening the gravy and darkening the sugars).
I didn't have molasses, so I went with the dark soy yesterday. Very similar flavor. The recipe I was working off (New England Baked Navy Beans, from The All-American Bean Book called for a lot more sugar, but I thought my version was plenty sweet without being cloying. The dark soy (or molasses) and oven finish helps really darken this dish to a stout shade.
Happy Father's Day, Nation!
Happy Father's Day!
I prefer to take my beans refried, but thanks anyway.
That pot looks mighty tasty. Out of curiosity, what kind of molasses are you using, Doc? I imagine the outcome must be slightly different depending on if you're using Barbados or blackstrap.
I'm thinking we could use a bean cookbook at Chez Hayes. We both really love beans, but for medical reasons Mrs. Hayes can't eat too many of them. I never make too much, but a variety outside of Navy bean soup and my bogus Southwestern bean concoction would be nice.
CH: no molasses. As noted above, I didn't have any, so I used dark soy sauce. (the pic is from Flickr; one of these days, I will start taking pics of my own dishes to share in these posts).
and that bean book has been a go-to for two decades (we got it as a wedding gift, I think).
this recipe is good. It would be even better with some bacon or salt pork, of course.
I wrote that question wrong - I meant to ask which kind you usually use when you have some on the shelf.
ahh, right. I use it so rarely.... Probably Br'er Rabbit "full" flavored, rather than blackstrap. I think that's the brand I've usually bought.