Southern Baked Beans

This is a family recipe.  I grew up eating these beans, several times a month, so much so they're almost part of my DNA.  My mother always used canned pork and beans, which makes the dish very soft, and to me, comforting.  But, I also like it made with dried white beans, which is what I used here.  My mother never measured the ingredients, just added the "correct" amount by eyeballing it, adjusting the taste until it was just right.  And that's exactly what I do.  The taste of the beans is sweet, spicy, and garlicky, with a slight smokey taste.  We always ate them with hot dogs.  In the winter, the dogs were cooked submerged in the beans, which is my favorite way of preparing them.  But, in the summer they were grilled.  I love eating these beans, because they always remind me of my mother. And, of course, they get better over a period of days, sitting in the fridge.

Southern Baked Beans

You can cook these in a covered casserole on top of a burner, but I've never found that they get the right texture, as when you bake them.  The amounts of the seasonings is just a guideline.  I always adjust the beans to my taste as I prepare them.  You can use canned pork and beans, but omit the crushed tomatoes if you do.

1 pound dried small white beans.  I used Great Northern Beans
1 bay leaf
1 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, chopped small
1 large stalk of celery, chopped small
4-6 large cloves of garlic, well chopped
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
about 1/2 cup ketchup
about 1/2 cup good barbecue sauce
2 heaping Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 squirt of sriracha, to your taste

Sort through the dried beans and discard bad ones or any dirt.  Rinse well and cover with cold water.   Let sit over-night.  When ready to cook, add the bay leaf and make sure the beans are covered with enough water.  Bring the beans to a boil and then lower the heat and cook, slightly covered, on top of the stove until tender, but not mushy.  Add more water if necessary as they cook.

While beans are cooking, saute the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and celery until soft, then set aside.  When the beans are done, drain off the liquid and retain it.  Add the onion mixture, the crushed tomatoes, and the rest of the ingredients.  Stir the beans and taste them to see if you need more ketchup, mustard and so forth (I always do).  Add bean broth, if necessary, to have the liquid just cover the beans.  Cover the pot with a well fitting lid, and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Comments

[Rosa]

Delicious! With a sausage, there's nothing more scrumptious!

Cheers,

Rosa

[Shannon]

You know, I have never been a fan of baked beans, but the ones I have eaten are either slightly sweet or out of a can (even sweeter). These look spicy, though, and of course homemade is best. I think I will give these a go and see if I become a convert!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

Except for that 'squirt of sriracha' you've pretty much got my beans! Just made them for some hot dogs and gosh dog gone if they aren't soooo good.

[Sara]

Man, those look good!

[Christine]

These are very close to what my mom used to cook for us kids, in Davis!, so this really beings back great memories, Sher.
BTW, I've been trying to send you an email to no avail. It keeps bouncing back to me.

[Maryann]

Beans and hot dogs bring back childhood memories. I still love it!

[Callipygia]

The humble hotdog and bean is also a nostalgic part of my childhood, tho it hasn't quite made DNA status. I find myself reaching for a can time and again but homemade is the way to go. I am awaiting my first Rancho Gordo beans...so I know what to do with them!

[grace]

oooh--beans and weenies are a favorite of mine. :) what you have here are some baked beans done right. :)

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Hooray -- spicy baked beans that don't have pork! I am sooo bookmarking this recipe.

[Julie]

Looks delicious and you have to love anything that gets better over a period of days as it sits in the fridge.

[katie]

I love beans like this - tomato based.
I also love the molasses type.
I made American 'beans' for the neighborhood picnic and most people, gingerly, took a teaspoon full...
The local dish is mogettes - white beans cooked with carrots and pork fat or duck gizzards. They're good, I love them, but totally different!

[Mrs. L]

I've had the most horrid luck with dried beans. I read somewhere that really hard water might be the culprit, but I've kind of given up on dried bean dishes for a while. To bad cuz your recipe sounds good!

[John]

Ah missed, ah say ah missed my dinnuh invuhtation!

YUM.

A Southern Boy

[Marie]

I love canned baked beans, so I can't imagine how tasty this homemade version must taste! The beans look just delicious.

[wahidah]

Have you ever heard of TEMPE?
It is fermented soybean by Rhizopus oligosporus originally from Indonesia. Food scientists in our country have found great benefits of TEMPE. Soybean nutrition value become higher because the fermentation process increase soybean digestibility and produce several active compound, and also a gret source of unsaturated fatty acid. There are several delicious cuisine made with TEMPE, such as DRIED SPICY TEMPE, TEMPE NUGGET, TEMPE OMELETTE, etc. We even have TEMPE BURGER..

[Sara B.linigan]

Incredible forum..I love Beans and hot dogs so much.