baked beans, on the couch
Well, well, well. I certainly didn’t expect this. The baked beans, that is. I’ve spent nearly three decades’ worth of summers doing my best to avoid them—crinkling my nose, no-thank-you-ing, rolling my eyes at those ridiculous talking dog commercials. And then I made them myself.
On Saturday afternoon, for a weather-be-damned barbecue, I gave a pound of dried white beans a quick simmer to tenderize and plump them. Meanwhile, I whisked together a thick sauce, sweetened lightly with molasses and brown sugar and flavored deeply with pure maple syrup. I tipped that into the pot of beans, along with hearty chunks of thick-cut bacon. Once stirred, all of this went into the oven—covered tightly—for the rest of the afternoon at 300 degrees. Slowly, surely, the beans drank up the sauce, becoming incredibly tender, but not at all mushy. The bacon cooked up into meaty bits and the whole pot became impossibly saucy.
As the beans baked, I began to wonder if I’d had it all wrong about this summertime staple. The tendrils of aroma that escaped each time I peered beneath the lid—all bacon and maple and backyard barbecue—convinced me that, oh yes, I’d had it all wrong.
As luck would have it, we also had it all wrong about the weather—a common springtime phenomenon in Chicago. We’d planned a big barbecue spread—ribs and all. The intermittent downpours and 4o-degree temperature, however, triggered Plan B: ribs eaten inside, on the couch.
At least I had my new-found love—baked beans—to keep me warm.
Maple Baked Beans
Adapted from Cookie
1 pound dried navy or great northern beans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 thick strips bacon, cut in 1/4 inch pieces
In a large pan, cover the beans with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a bowl, combine everything else except the bacon. Add to the beans. Stir in the bacon. Add just enough water to the pot to cover everything. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, then a lid. Bake for 5 hours, checking hourly to make sure the beans aren’t drying out. (Add more water as necessary to keep them submerged.) Uncover for the last half hour to brown the top, if desired.
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Ahhhh, there’s just nothing like homeade baked beans. I used to refuse to eat them too – until I tried a delicious, sweet & savory homeade recipe – very similar to yours. Great post!
I love this recipe. Instantly bookmarked. I agree with you about the beans from a can but I have never thought to recreate the great flavors from dried beans. Great shot of all of the jars and measuring spoons above.
I LOVE the 3rd picture in this post. Amazing. I wish I had your talent.
I have always been a fan of baked beans (even from a can…shhh) but I think I will have to try the grown up version.
What is up with the 24 hours of warmth followed by 3 days of warm then cold rain? Oh Chicago.
Baked bean porn. Yum!
Wow – great pictures… and an even better sounding recipe. As the wife of someone who adores baked beans, I think I’m going to owe you big time for this later this summer.
I’ve been looking for a straightforward recipe for baked beans for a while! Thank-you! I wonder if these ingredients could all be put into the slow cooker?!
These look really good. I don’t have a go to baked bean recipe and with summer coming this will be the perfect addition to our BBQ line up. Thanks!
I always skip baked beans at barbecues / potlucks too… But now I want to try them! Your writing and pictures are just too good!!
hello, first i want to say that you have such a lovely food blog. next, i’m so happy to hear of your new found love of baked beans. i simply love them, growing up my mom would brown ground beef with onions and add them to her beans before baking. i’m sure ground turkey could be used as well. thank you for sharing this recipe. i was contemplating what to make for dinner this weekend and i’ve decided to make baked beans and oven baked hot dogs.
Homemade baked beans are 100,000,000, times better than any that I’ve ever had from a can. Don’t ever try canned ones now that you’ve had these!
OK you’ve convinced me. I too used to shun baked beans, but perhaps this summer I’ll get off of my high horse and give these a try!
What cool pictures – I especially love the one of the ingredients in the bowl! oh yeah, and it looks like a great recipe too.
I’ve heard high praise for baked beans from Robin (cav/cod) and now from you. I think that seals my fate.
Truly, they look heartwarming.
I just can’t tell you how glad I am that you think of these things, and then test them out! Homemade baked beans, seriously! Yummy!
I have several friends from England that just LOVE baked beans (from a can) on toast for breakfast, which has always kind of scared me. This recipe, however, looks divine.
Dijon mustard and maple syrup with beans? Sounds delicious to me!
yummy.
you should definitely try adding chopped red onion and chopped green peppers
substitute dark brown sugar for the molasses
add regular yellow mustard
and red wine vinegar
and a liberal splash of ketchup
yum! i love love loooooove baked beans, those look delicious.
I grew up eating beans JUST like these!!! served with boston brown bread. YUM!!!
Kristin: Thanks!
Megan: Oooh, I hope you try them! Let us know how it goes.
Whitney: Awww, thank you!
Half Assed Kitchen: Ha! That’s a horrifying thought, actually. : )
Kara: Why wait to be the hero? : )
GS: That’s a fantastic idea, because the only downside to this recipe is that your bound to the house for the lengthy baking time.
Phoo-D: You had me at BBQ. I am so ready.
KT: Thank you! I hope you give them a try.
kenya: Thanks!
maris: Agree. Never again.
Laura: Another convert!
Tabitha: Thanks! The only thing I didn’t like about the original was ketchup, so I swapped in tomato sauce.
Melissa: That’s a good word for them — especially on this chilly “spring” day.
Chocolate and Toast: Well, it’s my pleasure. : )
Polly Rice: Yes, I think that’s kind of scary too. I’m pretty flexible when it comes to breakfast, but …
Jodye: It was!
anne: Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Julia: Thanks!
Jennifer: Ooooh, that sounds great!
OMG, that looks just incredibly good!! I have heard that once you’ve made your own (as opposed to the watery, sugary canned version), you will understand what baked beans are all about – and I think this post shows why! Lovely pics.
Ahh, I love baked beans. Yours look lovely and I’m now making plans to make them this week.
And I’ve got to admit, while I love baked beans at a barbecue, I think they are even lovelier when the weather is cold and rainy and they are eating inside with a blanket on your lap.
Your recipe and photos are scrumptious. Welcome to the Other Side!
Confession: I love baked beans from a can but I’ve never made them myself. Your recipe has changed all that. I picked up navy beans today at the store and I’ll be making these this weekend! Great photos – they look so delicious!
Thought I would pause and explain about the UK/US bean issues…
English baked beans are completely different to American baked beans… they are just baked in a gently sweet tomato sauce, no bacon, no smokiness, no syrup or spices. I can see why you might not want the richly-flavoured beans for breakfast, but over here they’re mild. I love English baked beans AND American baked beans! But they are totally different things. Tuscan baked beans, or bean soup – with sage and tomato – are good, too!!
Canned beans are an important part of the British cooked breakfast – eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, hash browns and baked beans! (I don’t think anyone has tried to replicate our canned type at home though. we are hooked on Heinz!)
Saucy! Love the pictures of the sauces, btw.
Making your own baked beans sounds like fun! I like the maple syrup in them.
I had to write again since I have now made these…wow! everyone was so impressed with them. And, I didn’t even put the bacon in (vegetarian guests)! So I imagine they will only be even better when I get the chance to do the proper recipe.
My family is baked beans mania but we prefer the English version rather than the American, however I will try this recipe. TFS.
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Mine are in the oven right and can’t wait to eat them, they smell sooooo good!! We live in Brazil where a tin of Heinz costs US$7 so they are a real treat to have rather than a part of our daily meal. Can’t wait to have them sitting in my fridge whenever I want, if they last that long!
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