Baked beans are an essential part of summer barbecues and picnics. When slowly baked in the oven, they develop a delicious flavor, with beans at the right firmness. Hearty and delicious, this Traditional Baked Beans recipe is made using Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye beans, but can also be made with a variety of other types, including Cranberry beans. This recipe is calls for dried beans. If you use canned beans, pay attention to the consistency of the beans while cooking, as you don’t want the beans to become too soft and fall apart. As an alternative to the oven baking, you can use a control multipoint cooker.
- 1 lb. Yellow Eye or Cranberry beans, soaked and drained, soaking water reserved
- 1/2 lb. high-quality, lean applewood smoked bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp dalt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup molasses
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a 2-quart casserole or Dutch oven, saute bacon over medium high heat until fat begins to render. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add onion and sauce until softened, but not browned, 6-8 minutes.
Add brown sugar, mustard, salt, black pepper and molasses to the onion-bacon mixture. Cook until well combined.
Add drained beans and stir until well combined. Add enough of the soaking liquid to cover the beans.
Bake covered in oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Check every so often to make sure the beans are covered with liquid, adding more as necessary. Do not stir, to avoid breaking the beans apart.
Serves 6
