Not Just Another Baked Bean Food

OLD FASHIONED BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Place the dried beans in a pot of water covered by a few inches of water and let soak overnight. Drain the beans, place them back in the pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour, then drain, reserving the liquid. See NOTE.
• In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot fry the bacon until crispy then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Stir in the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaf.Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved bean water and the beans.Bring everything to a simmer for a minute or two to heat it up. In the meantime preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Transfer the Dutch oven with the lid on to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, removing the lid during the last 20-30 minutes to help the sauce thicken. NOTE: If at any point during the cooking process too much liquid evaporates and the beans get dry, add a little more of the reserved bean water. The beans themselves can vary from batch to batch and you may end up either needing to add more liquid if the beans are too dry or you may need to bake the beans longer with the lid off if there is too much liquid. Adjust as needed.Add more salt the pepper to taste.Serve immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• SLOW COOKER METHOD: Follow steps 1 and 2 and then pour everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until the beans are tender. Open the lid for the last 30 minutes or longer until the sauce has thickened. If the beans are too thick at any point and too much liquid has evaporated, stir in a little extra water.

THE BEST BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika and toast, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, molasses, bourbon, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
• Add the beans and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. (If the beans are still slightly firm, continue cooking, stirring every 45 minutes and adding more water if necessary to just cover.)
• Once the beans are tender, uncover and increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until the beans are thick and browned, about 1 more hour. (Again, if the beans need more time, continue cooking, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary.) Remove from the oven and thin with water if necessary.

NOT JUST ANOTHER BAKED BEAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a small saucepan, combine coffee, cider vinegar, water, butter, molasses, maple syrup, dry mustard, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, liquid smoke, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary.
• Bring this sauce to a slow boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in brandy and Kahlua.
• Taste and adjust seasonings or sugar to your taste preference if necessary.
• Place beans in a glass casserole dish and top with sauce, combine well then top with the sliced onions.
• Bake uncovered in a preheated oven for 4 - 8 hours or until desired tenderness is achieved. If you find that the bean are runny then keep in the oven longer, making sure to watch that they don't burn or that the liquid doesn't completed dry out.
• Please add a little water if they start to get dry.

EASY BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the drippings, and drain it on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
• Add the onion to the pan with the bacon drippings and saute until softened, a couple minutes. Stir in the beans, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and crumbled bacon, and mix well.
• Pour the beans into a 3-quart casserole and bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

NOT JUST ANOTHER GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook the green beans according to the package directions, except omit salt.
• Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook the onion in margarine until onion is tender.
• Stir in the bread crumbs; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the soup, yogurt, pimiento, and pepper.
• Stir in the beans.
• Transfer mixture to a 1-quart casserole.
• Sprinkle bread crumb mixture atop beans in casserole.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is heated through and the crumbs are golden.
• If desired, garnish with additional pimiento pieces.

NOT JUST ANOTHER GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Combine and marinate first 6 ingredients overnight or for several hours, Drain.
• Add water chestnuts and bacon.
• Place all ingredients in greased casserole dish.
• Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.