Post by dagriz on Jan 14, 2008 13:43:43 GMT -5
I'll set the record straight right away... I'm NOT a great cook by any stretch. However, when there's a family outing and I bring the beans, the women in the family have TEARS in their eyes and burn with jealousy...
The critical part of cooking these beans is in the soaking. Most recipes tell you to soak the beans overnight. Soak 'em overnight but make sure they soak a MINIMUM of 12 hours.
Sort and clean a 1 pound bag of beans per instructions. I use Anastasi but any bean will work. Put them in large bowl . to soak and put a couple of inches of water over the top of the beans.
After the required soaking time, pare boil them in the same water on the stove top. Boil them 'til the skins peel back when blown on. This doesn't take more than a few minutes of boiling...
At this point, remove the water from the beans (saving the water) and pour the beans into a preheated Dutch oven. I warm my #8 up on the stovetop with just a little water in the bottom.
Now mix 1 ts. salt, 1/2 ts. pepper, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/2 ts. dry mustard, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil stirring. Add this mixture to the D.O. along with 1 medium onion. Just peel the onion and set it on top of the beans.
Cover a 1/4 lb. salt pork with boiling water and let sit for 2 minutes. Add drained salt pork to D.O.. I make diagonal cuts every 1/2 inch or so through the salt pork down to, but not through the rind...
Now retrieve the water left from boiling the beans and add enough to the D.O. to cover the beans. Save the remaining water to add to the D.O. as the beans cook...
Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 300 degrees
for 6/8 hours. Check frequently and add water as needed to keep the beans covered.
Towards the end of this process, I remove the cover and let the beans cook down to the consistancy I'm looking for....
This little recipe produces the best baked beans I've ever had...
The critical part of cooking these beans is in the soaking. Most recipes tell you to soak the beans overnight. Soak 'em overnight but make sure they soak a MINIMUM of 12 hours.
Sort and clean a 1 pound bag of beans per instructions. I use Anastasi but any bean will work. Put them in large bowl . to soak and put a couple of inches of water over the top of the beans.
After the required soaking time, pare boil them in the same water on the stove top. Boil them 'til the skins peel back when blown on. This doesn't take more than a few minutes of boiling...
At this point, remove the water from the beans (saving the water) and pour the beans into a preheated Dutch oven. I warm my #8 up on the stovetop with just a little water in the bottom.
Now mix 1 ts. salt, 1/2 ts. pepper, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/2 ts. dry mustard, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil stirring. Add this mixture to the D.O. along with 1 medium onion. Just peel the onion and set it on top of the beans.
Cover a 1/4 lb. salt pork with boiling water and let sit for 2 minutes. Add drained salt pork to D.O.. I make diagonal cuts every 1/2 inch or so through the salt pork down to, but not through the rind...
Now retrieve the water left from boiling the beans and add enough to the D.O. to cover the beans. Save the remaining water to add to the D.O. as the beans cook...
Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 300 degrees
for 6/8 hours. Check frequently and add water as needed to keep the beans covered.
Towards the end of this process, I remove the cover and let the beans cook down to the consistancy I'm looking for....
This little recipe produces the best baked beans I've ever had...