Mom's Baked Beans

One of my favorite summer dishes is baked beans and whenever I think of baked beans, I think of my mom’s baked beans. Why it’s only in the summer that I think of these I’m not sure, unless that’s when Mom usually made them. Kind of like her chicken and dumplings, we only had those at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I like just about any kind of baked beans, but Mom’s always stand out….I’m not sure if it’s because she didn’t use doctored up pork and beans or what, but I’ve always thought they were better than most. I’ve actually heard people at our family reunions tell her that they didn’t normally like baked beans but did hers. This is another recipe that she didn’t have written down, but I helped her make them enough that I knew what the ingredients were, not difficult since there were only five, I  just wasn’t sure of measurements. After a little trial and error, I think I’ve come up with her recipe.

Mom's Baked Beans

Print Recipe

1 lb Navy beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tsp.
1 lb. bacon

1. Overnight soak: Rinse and sort beans in a large pot, add 6-8 cups cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain water and rinse again.

2. Cooking Directions: Add 6 cups of hot water to rinsed and drained beans. Simmer gently with lid tilted for 1 hour or until desired tenderness is reached.

3. Cook beans until done, but not soft (Should smash, with very little resistance, when squeezed between thumb and finger. It's easier for me to test the doneness by eating one.).

4. Preheat oven to 350

5. Mix beans with onion, brown sugar and ketchup. Place in a 9x13 pan. Cover with strips of bacon. Bake until bacon is crisp (about 30 min), stir (may want to taste and add more ketchup and/brown sugar, if needed). Add more bacon and bake again, follow above procedures until all bacon is used. I always remove any bacon that is kind of soft. If beans get a little dry, just add a little water.

Tips

For quick soak method, see instructions on bag of beans.

Equivalency: 1 cup of dry beans is approximately 2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked beans.

Author Notes
I cooked the beans for 1 hour may need to cook longer next time.
Make sure beans are done before adding ketchup...once ketchup is added the beans will stop cooking.

Use one pound of Navy Beans, that's what Mom always used. Can substitute Great Northern Beans.

Soak overnight in cold water.

Drain, rinse and drain again.

Simmer gently for 1 hour or until the beans reach the desired tenderness, then drain. It's important to make sure the beans are completely cooked at this point because once you add the ketchup, in spite of being in the oven for several hours, they will not continue to cook.

 Combine, beans, onion, ketchup and brown sugar.

Slice one pound of bacon. Yes, I said one pound. I know that sounds like a lot, but that is the secret to the wonderful flavor of these beans. You aren't going to eat the whole pan (even though you may want to) and this is a dish that you probably won't prepare often, so just eat and enjoy. If you don't want to use a whole pound, you can probably get by with using 1/2 pound. I've always used a pound so don't know if this would change the flavor much.

Slice bacon into small pieces. My mom used to use the whole slices, but I find that the bacon cooks up better when in smaller pieces. To make cutting the bacon easier, wrap bacon in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes. This makes the bacon hard enough that it can be chopped with a chefs knife, as finely as needed.

Place beans in a 9x13 inch pan and layer bacon on top.

Bake until bacon is crisp (approx. 30 minutes), stir bacon into beans, add another layer of bacon and bake, continue doing this until all the bacon is used. At some point during the baking process, you may want to taste the beans and add more ketchup and/or brown sugar according to your taste. My mom used a lot of brown sugar, she liked everything sweet. If the beans get too dry, mix in a little water. What I like to do is if I have an empty ketchup bottle, I keep that, add water to the bottle, shake and use that to thin out the beans.

 If you don't have the time, or don't want to bother using dried beans, you can buy beans in cans or jars that are already cooked. Once in a while, in the days when it was just Mom and me living in the family home, she would get a craving for baked beans and she would whip up a batch using the canned. They were still good.

Whenever I make and eat these beans they remind me of Mom and how the house used to smell when they were baking away in the oven. They were always a must have at all our summer family gatherings.

Texas White Chili

The first time I had this chili was several years ago when my cousins, Jayne and Jill and I got together for a day of catching up....which of course, also included food. Jill provided the house, bread and drink, I baked my famous Turtle Brownies and Jayne made this delicious chili. I had never had a white chili before so was happy to have the opportunity to try it. It was so good that I asked Jayne for the recipe so that I could make it...unfortunately, I just now got around to it...a few years later. The November Challenge on BakeSpace  was soup and bread so I decided this was the perfect time to make this chili...I also made a copycat version of Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits.

Texas White Chili
Print Recipe

1 lb. dried Great Northern white beans -rinsed and picked over
2 lbs. boneless -- skinless chicken breasts, diced
5 T olive oil
2 medium onions -- chopped
4 large cloves garlic -- minced (I add a bit more)
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried marjoram
1 1/2 t dried oregano leaves
1 T jalapeno peppers -- chopped, with juice
1/2 t cayenne pepper
6 C chicken stock
3 C shredded white cheddar cheese (12 oz.)
Garnishes: sour cream -- tomato salsa, chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans in large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches and soak overnight. Heat 3 T of the oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to a side dish, cover and reserve. Add remaining oil to pot. Stir onions, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, marjoram, oregano and cayenne and sauté 5 minutes. Add beans and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until beans are very tender. Check and stir occasionally. Add chicken and 1 C cheese and stir until cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream, salsa and cilantro to sprinkle over the top.

Pre-soaked Great Northern Beans...covered with water.

After soaking overnight

Chopped chicken....the next time I make this, I'm cutting the chicken up a little more.

 Oregano, Cumin, Cayenne and Marjoram

Brown chicken then remove from pan

Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and spices...saute 5 minutes

Add beans and stock, bring to boil then simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender

Add chicken and 1 cup white cheddar.....cook until cheese has melted.

Season to taste and enjoy.

I already knew that I liked this chili but wanted another opinion so made this while I was visiting Michael. Once I was able to drag him away from his recliner and the TV, where he had been "coaching" his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes, he finally gave it a try.....he gave it a thumbs up. He told me he actually preferred this over our regular chili. So looks like I'll be making this again.

Bacon Barbecued Beans

Several weeks ago, after my trip to Pittsburgh, I was still wishing I had gone to the strip and shopped at some of the stores, especially the Penzey's Spice store. I had always wanted to purchase their spices but was hesitant to order them online or through the catalog....don't ask me why, I've ordered other things that way with no problem. Anyway, I went online and was searching their site when I decided to check the store locator. I remembered that they had at least one store in Ohio but wasn't sure where it was, but knew that it wasn't in Cincinnati. I was surprised, and excited when I saw that there were two stores in Ohio, one in Cleveland and one in Columbus...not only was it in Columbus, but it was only about a 20 minute drive from Michael's apartment....and I even knew its approximate location. I had just been on that road in June when I had taken Michael to the hospital to visit his brother Bob. So, the last time I was in Columbus I asked Michael to drive me to Penzey's. I was in heaven....I could never have imagined such a store...filled with more spices and herbs than I could ever have wanted plus cookbooks, their latest catalogs and some free recipes next to some of the different spices. I picked up a few jars of spices along with a jar of BBQ 3000 and the two recipes that were nearby.

I've tried all kinds of baked beans, canned and pork and beans that other people have doctored up and although they may be good, I've never been excited about their taste. Nothing has ever tasted as good as my mom's baked beans. Those have been a favorite of mine, and a few other members of my family and friends, ever since I can remember. That recipe will be in a future post. Today, while at Michael's, I decided that since I had a taste tester, I would try the Bacon Barbecued Beans recipe that I had picked up at Penzey's.

1/2 lb. bacon, diced (can use turkey bacon for less fat)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (15 oz.) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (the recipe called for one can of great northern beans and one can of black beans)
1 tablespoon BBQ 3000 or Barbecue of the Americas (both Penzey's blends)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft and the bacon is browned. Drain off any excess bacon drippings.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer thebeans for 15 minutes. Can easily be prepared in a crockpot.

This recipe was a lot easier to prepare than my mother's baked beans and I thought they tasted very good...some of the best I've had, although, not my mom's. Even though they were good, there seemed to be something missing...not sure if they needed a little more sugar and/or ketchup so will add a little more the next time I make them. Of course, they may taste better when I re-heat them tomorrow...so many things do. Michael liked them, he even had a couple spoons full before I put them away.

This is definitely a keeper!

*Update....August 24*
Michael says that he wants me to make a double batch next time. That's good sign!