Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 pound Navy beans, or Pea beans (454g) (small, dried white beans)
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Cider vinegar
½ tsp each Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
½ pound Pork Roast or Slab Bacon (227g) Thinly diced, or chopped
1 large Yellow onion chopped
2 cloves Garlic minced
½ C Dark sweet Molasses or Maple Syrup not blackstrap as this is bitter
1 Tbsp Dry prepared Mustard
Pepper and Salt to taste
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Directions: |
Directions:1. The night before: In a medium bowl, completely cover the beans with cool water and stir in 1 Tbsp (15g) salt. Let the beans soak about 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
2. In a large pot, combine beans with the herbs and cover with water by several inches. Add about 1 tsp of salt and 2 tsp cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook, topping up with water if necessary, until the beans are fully tender, about 45 – 60 minutes.
Note: this step is necessary to not only reduce the baking time, but to ensure the beans are safely and properly cooked through before adding them to a low temperature oven for baking. The beans will not soften any more once placed into the oven.
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, cook the pork over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is beginning to lightly brown, about 4 – 5 mins. Add the onion and garlic, then cook until they have caramelized and the pork is fully cooked through. (about 6 – 8 mins) Set aside.
4. Next, pour the molasses or maple syrup into a 2 C liquid measuring cup. Add the dry mustard, and about ¼ tsp each freshly ground pepper and salt. (Feel free to adjust this to taste) Mix well and set aside.
5. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Add enough of the liquid to your molasses/maple mixture to bring the volume up to 2 C (475ml) and stir until the molasses/maple syrup is completely dissolved. Reserve the remaining cooking liquid.
6. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Add the par boiled beans to your cooking pot of choice, followed by the pork mixture and prepared sauce. Stir well to combine. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to just barely cover the beans, then stir again, leveling out the beans so that none are sticking up above the liquid.
7. Place the beans in the oven and bake, covered, until beans are tender but still mostly whole, about 3 hours. Check the beans every 25-30 mins, stirring and adding remaining cooking liquid as needed to ensure the beans do not dry out too much on top. For the final hour, remove the cover to allow it to brown on top and to enhance the glaze.
Continue by adding boiling water if needed, but just enough to prevent the top from over drying. By the end of the 4 hours we are looking for a slightly browned top layer. Feel free to bake longer if desired. The longer they bake the better they will taste, provided you don’t let them over dry on top.
8. Remove your beans from the oven and stir well. The sauce should appear to be a thick and rich texture. Add a hint of boiling water if you feel it is too thick. If you feel it is still a little too wet, simmer briefly on the stove top until it has reduced to your preferred consistency. Keep warm until ready to serve. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Homemade baked beans have a flavour that cannot be matched anywhere else. With their rich and hearty taste, baked beans are a long held tradition for keeping warm in the dreary winter months.
If you find the beans are too sweet for your liking, add a small touch of apple cider vinegar to balance out the flavour. Alternatively, you can also add a little ketchup or brown sugar to bring in a mellow sweetness if you find it a little too herbaceous.
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