For some reason, I seem to remember that my gransmother always made baked beans for just about every occasion I am quite an adventurous cook but have not yet made them the way she did (dried beans, salt pork.etc) Is the art of making baked beans from scratch mostly a dish from a generation or two ago?
Baked Beans have been around for generations and I remember my grandmother making them from scratch so I always haveI bring them to potlucks and picnics and suchI even bought a bean pot to cook them inIt's a urn with a lid that's made out of crockery and glazedYou don't really need one to make good baked beans, although it makes a nice presentationPeppered bacon-topped Baked Beans 1 lbdried navy beans 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 Tablespoons mustard 2 Tablespoons molasses 4 oz tomato sauce 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 strips thick-cut peppered bacon First cook the beansPour into a large pot and cover with waterBring to a boil and let simmer for about an hourPour cooked beans and the water into a casserole dish with a lidCombine the remaining ingredients (except the bacon), and pour over the beansThen top with the chopped peppered baconCover with aluminum foil, and the lidBake at 300 degrees for five hoursI know it seems like a long time, but it is so worth it for these from scratch baked beansEach hour, check the beans by taking the top and the aluminum foil offIf the beans are not covered in water, add more so that they areThe last hour you can take the top off to thicken and darken the sauceIt is very simple and really does not take a whole lot of hands on timeServe hot! Time-Saving Tips: This would be a perfect meal to whip up on a weekend morning, and bring to a cookout that afternoonThese baked beans freeze well, and also refrigerate well, up to 3 days or soYou could make these on a weekend, portion them into smaller side dishes and take out and use throughout the weekYum and easy.
