The secret to delicious baked beans is the cooking time. Break the from-the-can habit, and let these slowly bake throughout the day, allowing the beans to develop a rich, deep, delicious flavor that will surely be a hit at a picnic. Oh, and the house smells delicious while they’re baking.
- 1 pound dried yellow eye or navy beans, rinsed and picked over, then soaked overnight and drained.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 small onion, sliced 1.2-inch thick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 lb meaty bacon, fat side scored
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large pot, cover the beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the skins peel back when you blow on them, about 1 hour. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid and drain the beans.
Transfer the drained beans to a 10-by13-inch baking dish. Stick the cloves in a slice of onion; nestle the onion slices, bay leaves and bacon, fat side up, among the beans.
In a bowl, whisk 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid with maple syrup, Worcestershire, dry mustard, 1.4 cup of the ketchup and 1 tsp;. of the salt; pour over the beans and bake for 3 hours.
Stir the remaining1 tsp of salt into 1 cup of the cooking liquid; pour over the beans and bake for 1-1/2 hours longer.
Whisk the remaining cooking liquid and ketchup with the Dijon mustard; pour over the beans. Bake for 1-1/2 hours longer, until the beans are richly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the cloves and bay leaves, and serve.
Source: Food & Wine Annual Cookbook, 2009
