# Boston Baked Beans



## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

Boston Baked Beans


Ingredients:
1 Bag of Navy Beans
   Some recipes I have seen over the years tell you that you can also use Great Northern. I personally do not care for them. They are just too big.

1 Large Piece of Salt Pork. 
   I always try to find a piece that has a couple of large streaks of meat running through it.

Approximately 1/3 Cup of Molasses 
   I always used Grandma’s molasses with the yellow label.

Approximately 1/3 Cup of Packed Dark Brown Sugar.
   Dark brown sugar has more molasses thus adding more flavors.

3-4 Tablespoons of Dry Mustard

1 Medium onion cut up into approximately 6-8 pieces. Leave the stem on so that the onion sections will stay together.

Directions:
1.  Sort through the beans looking for small rocks or beans that do not look appetizing. Soak them overnight covered completely covered with water. Check on them every couple of hours and replace any water to make sure they are completely covered. I suggest you use a bowl a lot larger than you think you need. The beans swell up during soaking.

2.  The next morning drain the beans and do not keep the water. Place the soaked beans in a sauce pan and completely cover with water. Cook the beans with a gently boil. You don’t want to damage the skins while cooking with a hard boil. Make sure the beans stay covered with water at all times. The beans are done when you blow on a bean and the skin splits. 

3.  Drain the beans and retain the liquid. 

4.  Take about one cup of the hot cooking water and place the molasses, brown sugar and dry mustard in the hot water. Stir to dissolve. 

5.  Cut up the salt pork into large bite size pieces. Arrange and line the bottom of the pan or pot with the half of the salt pork pieces. 

6.  Cover the pork with half of the cooked beans

7.  Add all of the onion pieces around the layer and cover with the rest of the beans and salt pork.

8.  Pour the mixture of the hot water and seasonings over the beans. Add the remaining hot water from the boil.

9.  Add additional water if needed. There should be about 1-2 inches of water over all of the beans.

10. Place the beans in a 250ºF. oven. Cook for 7-8 hours until the beans are fully cooked. The fresher the beans, the sooner they will be done. 

11. Check the water level every few hours and replace the water to just cover the beans. They are done when you bite into one bean and there is no small hard little nib in the center. 

Notes of Interest:

The sauce should be a bit thick at the end of cooking. So only add water at the end of the last hour with just enough to bring it to the top of the beans. 

My kids loved the salt pork. So I always added two large pieces. That way there were no fights over who got the most.

The sugar and molasses are an approximate amount. Some folks do not like their beans too sweet, some do not like molasses. My personal taste was toward more molasses. The molasses give the beans their color. The more molasses, the darker the bean.

You will see some recipes that add ketchup, tomatoes, and every thing else. Put the ketchup on at the dinner table. Forget all the rest of additives. They will no longer be Boston Baked Beans. Just plain bake beans.

My mother also made her own brown bread. She made it in a one pound empty Chase and Sandborn coffee can. It came to the table hot. Place a slab of butter on a hot slice of it and it was delicious. You can buy it in your grocery store or try to make your own.

It is also tradition to serve Cod Fish cakes with the beans and brown bread. 

If you don't have a bean pot, you can use an oven safe Dutch oven with a cover or your slow cooker. 

A few years back our Legislature passed a bill that stated you could not call them Boston Baked Beans unless they are actually made in Boston. And we the taxpayers pay them for this foolishness. Happy Eating! Enjoy.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 18, 2015)

Addie, your beans are almost exactly like my mother made them as I was growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.  So does that meat I have to call her bean recipe - Sault Ste. Marie baked beans?

I often use the same recipe and technique you use for my own baked beans, except that I use the pressure cooker to speed things up.  Then again, sometimes I substitute maple syrup for the mollases, making them a true Native American dish, as all of the ingredients are indigenous to this land.

As for tomato product, sometimes its in the beans (just a touch), but usually left out.  Meats range from browned pork, to bakon, to ham, to ham hocks, to pork jowl bacon.  It's all good.

Addie, the long bake time you use insures that the beans are well flavored, not just the sauce.  Nice recipe.  And I can't believe with the number of people who expressed interest in your bean recipes, that I'm the first to comment.

Tip, for a real change, and a delicious one, add a little chili powder to your beans.  It's a very good flavor.  I learned that from a guy who ran a fried chicken place in my home town, about a block or so from where I lived as a 6 year old.  It was called Vic's Chicken, and pre-dated KFC's arrival in the Soo by many years.  I always remembered the beans and chicken from that place.  His beans influence mine to this day, and that's 54 years later.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Lonwind of the North


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## Dawgluver (Jul 18, 2015)

This sounds great, and so authentic!  C&P, thanks Addie!


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 18, 2015)

Addie,

I was with you until I saw the 3-4 T of dry mustard, is that correct?


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## Andy M. (Jul 18, 2015)

Addie, I think I'll have to make some baked beans when the weather cools a bit.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 18, 2015)

Is that a one-pound bag of beans?


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## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

Aunt Bea said:


> Addie,
> 
> I was with you until I saw the 3-4 T of dry mustard, is that correct?



Yeah, My husband had an infinity for powdered mustard. I always made sure it was a very level measurement. And I went with the 3 as to 4 Ts. But you can use less if you desire. The kids learned to like it also.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jul 18, 2015)

Here is my mother's recipe!


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## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> Addie, I think I'll have to make some baked beans when the weather cools a bit.



Yeah, you don't want the oven on all day in the hot weather. Lesson learned the hard way. Before AC.


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## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> Here is my mother's recipe!



Those are "New England" baked beans. They are made in Maine. 

  As a kid, I always thought the B&M stood for "Boston and Maine railroad.


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## Andy M. (Jul 18, 2015)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> Here is my mother's recipe!




My mom's as well.


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## tenspeed (Jul 18, 2015)

Addie said:


> Boston Baked Beans
> 
> A few years back our Legislature passed a bill that stated you could not call them Boston Baked Beans unless they are actually made in Boston. And we the taxpayers pay them for this foolishness. Happy Eating! Enjoy.



 Well, if you can't call a sparkling wine Champagne if it doesn't come from the Champagne region, and you can't call a sweet onion a Vidalia onion unless it comes from a prescribed region in Georgia, then why could you call a bean a Boston Baked Bean unless it comes from Boston?  Wouldn't that be kind of like Scotch whisky that was made in Canada?


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## jennyema (Jul 18, 2015)

Addie

Thanks a lot for the recipe.

I don't think I'll wait for cool weather to make it!!!!!!


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## Zagut (Jul 18, 2015)

Thank you Addie.

Sometimes simple is the best.

Technique is sometimes more important then ingredients.

I love beans but sometimes they don't love me. 

Or should I say those around me don't love me eating them.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 18, 2015)

tenspeed said:


> Well, if you can't call a sparkling wine Champagne if it doesn't come from the Champagne region, and you can't call a sweet onion a Vidalia onion unless it comes from a prescribed region in Georgia, then why could you call a bean a Boston Baked Bean unless it comes from Boston?  Wouldn't that be kind of like Scotch whisky that was made in Canada?



Because the flavor in Champagne and Vidalia onions is related to the soil, aka terroir, the grapes and onions, respectively, are grown in. That's not the case with Boston baked beans. The dish can be made anywhere and it will taste the same.


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## dcSaute (Jul 18, 2015)

it's got to be good!  I was bouncing Addie's against my old standard -
basically the same with slightly different proportions, but adds a splash of paprika.

but I'm with Zagut - technique/method is everything in these kind of dishes.  it's all in the wrist.  these are not "remove from freezer and nuke for 25 minutes on high" dishes.

now, on to the brown bread....  metal coffee cans are hard to come by now-a-days.  can't believe we're all still alive after making brown bread contained in all those poisons (yeah, right....) but regardless -

I don't have a decent BBB recipe - Addie - can you post your approach?
I promise to strip the paint off the can before I bake it, honest!


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## Cheryl J (Jul 18, 2015)

Thanks for taking the time to share your recipe, Addie.  It sounds delicious.


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## tenspeed (Jul 18, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Because the flavor in Champagne and Vidalia onions is related to the soil, aka terroir, the grapes and onions, respectively, are grown in. That's not the case with Boston baked beans. The dish can be made anywhere and it will taste the same.



Ya think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqKHqWaTv9g


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## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

Good one tenspeed. You wouldn't recognize the Charles River today. It has been cleaned up so much, that you can't even find a dead body in it.


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## Addie (Jul 18, 2015)

dcSaute said:


> it's got to be good!  I was bouncing Addie's against my old standard -
> basically the same with slightly different proportions, but adds a splash of paprika.
> 
> but I'm with Zagut - technique/method is everything in these kind of dishes.  it's all in the wrist.  these are not "remove from freezer and nuke for 25 minutes on high" dishes.
> ...



You would have to haunt the antique shops and look for pudding steam pots to make it today. I haven't made Boston Brown Bread since my mother had me helping her. I would recommend buying it in a can with or without raisins. Your choice. It is a lot of work and sometime the ingredients can be very hard to find.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jul 19, 2015)

Addie said:


> Those are "New England" baked beans. They are made in Maine.


 

You mean like the New England Patriots as opposed to the Boston Patriots?


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## tenspeed (Jul 19, 2015)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> You mean like the New England Patriots as opposed to the Boston Patriots?


They don't play in Boston, and New England Patriots sounds better than the Foxborough Patriots, don't you think?


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## GotGarlic (Jul 19, 2015)

tenspeed said:


> Ya think?
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqKHqWaTv9g



Makes me happy that I wouldn't be making it in Boston.


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## Josie1945 (Jul 19, 2015)

Addie Thanks for posting your recipe.
I will try it soon.

Josie


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## GotGarlic (Jul 19, 2015)

dcSaute said:


> now, on to the brown bread....  metal coffee cans are hard to come by now-a-days.  can't believe we're all still alive after making brown bread contained in all those poisons (yeah, right....) but regardless -
> 
> I don't have a decent BBB recipe - Addie - can you post your approach?
> I promise to strip the paint off the can before I bake it, honest!



This recipe uses 14.5-ounce tomato cans to make smaller loaves more quickly: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/02/easy-boston-brown-bread.html


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jul 19, 2015)

tenspeed said:


> They don't play in Boston, and New England Patriots sounds better than the Foxborough Patriots, don't you think?


 
The Buffalo Bills don't play in Buffalo, the San Francisco 49ers don't play in San Francisco, and the New York Giants don't even play in the STATE of New York. So, what's in a name?


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## Andy M. (Jul 19, 2015)

When the Patriots (the Super Bowl Champion Patriots) built their stadium in Foxborough, they could have continued to go with the Boston Patriots but chose to change to the New England Patriots to acknowledge the extent of their fan base.


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## Addie (Jul 19, 2015)

tenspeed said:


> They don't play in Boston, and New England Patriots sounds better than the Foxborough Patriots, don't you think?



When the team was first formed as part of the brand spanking new AFL, they were called the Boston Patriots. They didn't even have a field or stadium of their own to play in. 

Boston is the largest city in all of New England. I know several folks from out of state, who come all the way to Boston to shop. As a result, we Bostonians are only to willing to share our sports teams with the other five states. And we do have a Red Sox farm team in Rhode Island, the RS sponsors minor league teams and franchises throughout New England. That goes for the Patriots doing the same with Pop Warner football for both the kids and older ones bordering on adulthood.  

BTW, did you know that Montpelier, Capital of Vermont is the smallest state capital in the whole nation? 

The six New England states tend to think as a whole as one. Although Connecticut, being a bit more wealthier than the other five states, likes to associate and assimilate themselves to New York City than the rest of New England. The only two things they have for bragging rights is that they have the highest income per capita and Hartford is the insurance capital of the country. Since they feel that their money talks, they can be a bit snooty and uppity at times. There used to be a NHL team called the Hartford Whalers. The residents of Conn. I guess thought it was a sport for ruffians and failed to support the team. They went bankrupt.


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## bakechef (Jul 19, 2015)

This is pretty similar to the bean recipe that was taught to my dad by his dad.  My grandfather as a young teen worked as a cook in logging camps where he learned to make beans.  In Maine, Yelloweye beans are the most popular, they are a little too large for my taste, I preferred pea beans (i'm not sure if that's an actual variety, or something that Mainers call them.)

I don't have a bean pot, so I make mine in a slow cooker.  I will confiscate my grandfather's bean pot from my mom when she's done with it some day.

Bean hole beans are a big tradition in Maine. It's kind of a cool tradition.  Dig a hole, build a fire, put in a sealed pot of beans and bury it.  Lot's of church suppers do it this way.

A few years ago while home in the summer, we went to the annual Riverdriver's Supper.  It's an event where they make bean hole beans, biscuits in reflector ovens and lots of goodies made by local people.  Back when trees were harvested and sent down the rivers to mills, these camps would be set up to feed the men moving the logs down the river. This is kind of a cool way to connect to the past while eating your baked bean dinner by the river.  Beans are a big deal in Maine too 

Here are the reflector ovens baking the biscuits.


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## taxlady (Jul 19, 2015)

bakechef said:


> ...
> Here are the reflector ovens baking the biscuits.


I don't see a picture.


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## Dawgluver (Jul 19, 2015)

Can't see your pic either, BC.

Cool story though!


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## Addie (Jul 19, 2015)

Pea beans are Navy beans. Or the small ones if you prefer. Think B&M beans.


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## CarolPa (Jul 21, 2015)

I used to think the B & M stood for....oh never mind.  

I have never made home made baked beans because I can't find my mother's recipe, but this one sounds just like it, Addie, so I'll try it.  I just don't know who's going to be eating all those baked beans.

When I want to cook something for a long time and don't want to heat up the oven I light the right side of the grill, put the food to be cooked on the left side, and close the lid.  I think that would work with the beans.  I have a small oven thermometer that I can use to check the temperature.


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## Addie (Jul 21, 2015)

CarolPa said:


> I used to think the B & M stood for....oh never mind.
> 
> I have never made home made baked beans because I can't find my mother's recipe, but this one sounds just like it, Addie, so I'll try it.  I just don't know who's going to be eating all those baked beans.
> 
> When I want to cook something for a long time and don't want to heat up the oven I light the right side of the grill, put the food to be cooked on the left side, and close the lid.  I think that would work with the beans.  I have a small oven thermometer that I can use to check the temperature.



Carol, buy just a small pkg. of beans. Adjust the recipe accordingly. And buy extra TP.


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 21, 2015)

Carol,

You can take that a step further and start with drained and rinsed canned beans, add the water, seasonings, salt pork, etc... bake as directed.  I would estimate that a pound of dried beans would be about the same as three 15.5 ounce cans of plain small white beans.  

Just don't tell the folks in Boston!


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## GotGarlic (Jul 21, 2015)

Aunt Bea said:


> Carol,
> 
> You can take that a step further and start with drained and rinsed canned beans, add the water, seasonings, salt pork, etc... bake as directed.  I would estimate that a pound of dried beans would be about the same as three 15.5 ounce cans of plain small white beans.



Since canned beans are already cooked, you wouldn't have to bake them for seven hours, either. One hour should do it.


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## jennyema (Jul 21, 2015)

CarolPa said:


> I used to think the B & M stood for....oh never mind.
> 
> I have never made home made baked beans because I can't find my mother's recipe, but this one sounds just like it, Addie, so I'll try it.  I just don't know who's going to be eating all those baked beans.
> 
> When I want to cook something for a long time and don't want to heat up the oven I light the right side of the grill, put the food to be cooked on the left side, and close the lid.  I think that would work with the beans.  I have a small oven thermometer that I can use to check the temperature.




I use a pound of dry beans every time and always have leftovers.

They freeze beautifully!!!  I'm always psyched to pull some out of the freezer for a hot summer's night burger dinner.


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## jennyema (Jul 21, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Since canned beans are already cooked, you wouldn't have to bake them for seven hours, either. One hour should do it.




Very true.  But they won't taste nearly as good.

That's the dilemma...

I suggest making Addie's recipe and freezing the leftovers.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 21, 2015)

jennyema said:


> Very true.  But they won't taste nearly as good.
> 
> That's the dilemma...
> 
> I suggest making Addie's recipe and freezing the leftovers.



Yeah. Sorry. I don't agree with that. The process for cooking canned beans is just like cooking dried beans but on a larger scale. 

From http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...rn/2009/06/how_to_buy_the_greenest_beans.html



> Canned beans, on the other hand, go through several additional steps of processing. First, they have to be hydrated, which either happens with a long, room-temperature soak or a relatively brief, hot bath. (The latter requires more energy but is often preferred because it cuts down on time and labor and helps prevent bacterial growth.) Then the beans are blanched for a few minutes before being sealed in cans and then cooked and sterilized in a retort—a machine that's essentially a big, steam-powered pressure cooker.



I've been making this recipe and it's delicious - sweet, savory, a little bit of bite from the mustard and smoke from the bacon  Just as good as my former stepfather's mother's recipe that was like Addie's. And it's easier on the environment. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/easy-baked-beans.html


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## Andy M. (Jul 21, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Yeah. Sorry. I don't agree with that. The process for cooking canned beans is just like cooking dried beans but on a larger scale. ...
> 
> I've been making this recipe and it's delicious - sweet, savory, a little bit of bite from the mustard and smoke from the bacon  Just as good as my former stepfather's mother's recipe that was like Addie's. And it's easier on the environment...http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/easy-baked-beans.html



While the canned beans may be cooked similar to slow cooked BBB, the canned beans haven't had the benefit of slow cooking with all those other BBB ingredients.

That food network recipe is doctoring canned pork and beans.  It is no doubt a tasty dish, but cannot match a slow cooked BBB recipe.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 21, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> While the canned beans may be cooked similar to slow cooked BBB, the canned beans haven't had the benefit of slow cooking with all those other BBB ingredients.
> 
> That food network recipe is doctoring canned pork and beans.  It is no doubt a tasty dish, but cannot match a slow cooked BBB recipe.



I know what it is. As soon as I tasted it for the first time, I got that mouth-watering taste memory of the long-cooked dish. I don't think cooking it for seven hours could improve on that. But if you think it's worthwhile, enjoy


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## jennyema (Jul 21, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> While the canned beans may be cooked similar to slow cooked BBB, the canned beans haven't had the benefit of slow cooking with all those other BBB ingredients.
> 
> That food network recipe is doctoring canned pork and beans.  It is no doubt a tasty dish, but cannot match a slow cooked BBB recipe.




So right.

If you takeAddie's awesome recipe, use canned beans, and just cook for an hour you'll likely be very disappointed.


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## CarolPa (Jul 22, 2015)

I am going to use the dried beans and probably give away the leftovers.  I want them to be like my mother's used to be.  I want that memory.  I could probably buy the dried beans and only use half a bag and adjust accordingly.  Then I could make them twice!  

And we always buy the 20 roll TP, so plenty on hand!


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## Kayelle (Jul 22, 2015)

Personally, I don't like traditional baked beans. However, I do like a similar bean dish I've made for years that has the addition of vinegar.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 22, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Since canned beans are already cooked, you wouldn't have to bake them for seven hours, either. One hour should do it.





Andy M. said:


> While the canned beans may be cooked similar to slow cooked BBB, the canned beans haven't had the benefit of slow cooking with all those other BBB ingredients...





GotGarlic said:


> I know what it is. As soon as I tasted it for the first time, I got that mouth-watering taste memory of the long-cooked dish. I don't think cooking it for seven hours could improve on that...





jennyema said:


> ...If you takeAddie's awesome recipe, use canned beans, and just cook for an hour you'll likely be very disappointed.



Isn't it possible that, since they've already been "cooked" in the canning process, the canned beans are more receptive to the flavors? It's possible you infuse the bean with yummy flavor throughout quicker. Also, unlike *Addie*'s recipe, the one *GG* uses has probably been developed to work with canned beans.

Besides, if *GG* is using the short-cut recipe, and *GG* is happy with the results, isn't that the most important flavor of all?  I know if I was using a short-cut that resulted in a dish we enjoyed, and someone told me that "no, it should be done this way to make it best", I'd happily put fresh linens on the guest bed and invite them up to cook.


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## taxlady (Jul 22, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Isn't it possible that, since they've already been "cooked" in the canning process, the canned beans are more receptive to the flavors? It's possible you infuse the bean with yummy flavor throughout quicker. Also, unlike *Addie*'s recipe, the one *GG* uses has probably been developed to work with canned beans.
> 
> Besides, if *GG* is using the short-cut recipe, and *GG* is happy with the results, isn't that the most important flavor of all?  *I know if I was using a short-cut that resulted in a dish we enjoyed, and someone told me that "no, it should be done this way to make it best", I'd happily put fresh linens on the guest bed and invite them up to cook.*


What a good idea!


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## Andy M. (Jul 22, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Isn't it possible that, since they've already been "cooked" in the canning process, the canned beans are more receptive to the flavors? It's possible you infuse the bean with yummy flavor throughout quicker. Also, unlike *Addie*'s recipe, the one *GG* uses has probably been developed to work with canned beans.
> 
> Besides, if *GG* is using the short-cut recipe, and *GG* is happy with the results, isn't that the most important flavor of all?  I know if I was using a short-cut that resulted in a dish we enjoyed, and someone told me that "no, it should be done this way to make it best", I'd happily put fresh linens on the guest bed and invite them up to cook.



As I mentioned, I don't doubt that GG's linked recipe is tasty.  My point is that it's a different bean dish, not a replacement for Addie's or other slow cooked BBB recipes.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 22, 2015)

Ok, I've been following this thread with interest and have to weigh in, from a common sense standpoint.

I know Addie's recipe.  It's very, very close to what my own mother used to make for us.  I also know that I've been making home made baked beans for a very long time, and have tried numerous recipes and techniques.  Sometimes I use shortcuts to get a particular flavor, and have one bean cookoffs with those recipes and techniques.  Sometimes I want that slow-baked flavor that comes with Addie's, and my mother's recipe and technique.  Both can produce outstanding beans.  The only real difference is that if cooked on the stove top, or in a slow cooker, they aren't baked beans.

So, what's the textural and flavor differneces between the two.  Let's examine this from a bit of an engineering, or scientific view.

First, the beans must be completely hydrated, maybe even overcooked until very soft, like the ready-cooked beans that come in a glass jar.  This is because both salt, and sugar are hygroscopic, meaning they draw out moisture.  To prove this, take some raw carrots, shred them, then add a tbs. of sugar and mix until all of the shredded carrot is coated.  Now, place that bowl in your fridge and let it sit for an hour.  The dry bowl will have liquid in the bottom that the sugar extracted from the carrot.  The same is true with beans.

I have taken verysoft beans, with almost no liquid, and placed them into my slow cooker, then added brown sugar and other flavors.  After jsut minutes, I have beans that look like they are swimming in syrup from the moisture that came out of the beans.  And the beans became firmer.

That's also what happens on the stove top.

Now, take those same beans, and let them cook for multiple hours.  The water is drawn back in by osmotic pressure, carrying with it the other flavors.  The syrup has become very thick and coats the individual beans like glue.  When you take a bite, you get concentrated flavor from the thicker sauce on the beans, and the actual bean flavor becomes somewhat lost.  This is true whether the beans are cooked for a long time in a slow cooker, on the stove top, or baked in the oven.  It's hard to do on the stove top though, as the sugars easily burn from the concentrated heat at the pan bottom.

If you enjoy a more intense bean flavor, cook them on the stove top and serve them after the sauce has all of the flavors you want.  Typically, if you use pork products in your beans, it will be stronger flavored in this type of beans.

Is one type better than the other?  Absolutely not.  It really depends on the flavor and texture you desire.  If you want more tender beans, with more bean flavor, and want to be able to actually taste the other flavors, such as pork, onions, molasses, etc., cook them on the stove top for a shorter period of time.  If you want firmer beans, where there is a more homogenous flavor, none of them taking center stage, then bake, or cook in the slow cooker for hours.

A can of your favorite, pre-cooked beans can be made great by adding a little extra flavor with brown sugar, or chili powder, some onion, maybe a touch of mustard, a few drops of liquid smoke, whatever it is that you like in you beans.

Remember, there are very few things in life where there is one perfect way to make, or create something, and that includes beans, and nearly every food I can think of.  What may be perfect to you, may just be ho-hum to someone else, and vice-versa.

Use what you like, and allow others to do the same.  Always be open to techniques and flavors that are new to you.  It may be that when you try another techique, or recipe, it might be better than what you were taught.

Addie, I really like your recipe.  It's classic, and will always tough a warm spot in my heart.  It will always remind me of good times with my departed mom.  But as I've said in previous posts, I really like other bean recipes as well.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 22, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> As I mentioned, I don't doubt that GG's linked recipe is tasty...


Never even thought you were criticizing *GG*'s recipe. I just pulled your post in to use as a segue to mention that canned beans might absorb more flavor.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 22, 2015)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> ... Now, take those same beans, and let them cook for multiple hours.  The water is drawn back in by osmotic pressure, carrying with it the other flavors.  The syrup has become very thick and coats the individual beans like glue.  When you take a bite, you get concentrated flavor from the thicker sauce on the beans, and the actual bean flavor becomes somewhat lost.  This is true whether the beans are cooked for a long time in a slow cooker, on the stove top, or baked in the oven.  It's hard to do on the stove top though, as the sugars easily burn from the concentrated heat at the pan bottom.



Thanks for your analysis, Chief. I agree with most of what you said. I just wanted to clarify for people who may not have read the recipe I posted that it's baked for 45 minutes after putting everything together, so the syrup does get that concentrated roasted flavor that only comes from dry heat. 

I made that recipe for 19 family members at the beach house last week and everyone loved it. My mom, who has had her former MIL's scratch baked beans many times, thought they were as good as hers. 

I might just do a blind taste test with friends this fall, just to see for myself. 

Btw, Cooks Illustrated staff were shocked last year to find that they preferred canned cannellini beans to dried, except for a mail-order heirloom variety. One reason is that canned beans are cooked soon after harvest while dried beans can sit for months before they're sold. That can lead to too-dry beans that split when cooked or never become tender. They also change chemically, which changes the flavor and texture. 

The science and art of cooking are endlessly fascinating to me.


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## taxlady (Jul 22, 2015)

I am not a fan of beans. But, I once had some wonderful baked beans at a friend's house. She used fresh beans from her garden and bear instead of pork.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 23, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Thanks for your analysis, Chief. I agree with most of what you said. I just wanted to clarify for people who may not have read the recipe I posted that it's baked for 45 minutes after putting everything together, so the syrup does get that concentrated roasted flavor that only comes from dry heat.
> 
> I made that recipe for 19 family members at the beach house last week and everyone loved it. My mom, who has had her former MIL's scratch baked beans many times, thought they were as good as hers.
> 
> ...



Now if you could only learn to make ribs like we do up here in da U.P., you'd be perfect.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Jul 23, 2015)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Now if you could only learn to make ribs like we do up here in da U.P., you'd be perfect.
> 
> Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



Oh yeah? What's so special about yooper ribs? People have been smoking ribs in Virginia for centuries


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 23, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Oh yeah? What's so special about yooper ribs? People have been smoking ribs in Virginia for centuries



Well come on up to my house and I'll show ya.   If your ribs are like Carolina ribs, I was told by my cousin, who used my rib cooking technique and recipe, that her North Carolina guests ate the ribs and told her they were the best they'd ever eaten, anywhere.  True story, even if it did make my head swell a bit.

That being said, like with the beans, there are so many great rib cooking techniques, and recipes out there, I would be a fool to say that mine were the best.  But I'll let other people say that all day long.

One other thing, I've never been the guy who makes food like my parents did, just because that's the way its always been done.  I figure, so they've been smoking ribs the same way in these parts for generations. To me, they've become stagant.

I'm the re-inventor, the experimenter, the engineer of food recipes.  But like everyone else, I stand on the shoulders of some pretty great cooks before me, and use what they could give me, then expand upon that.  Sometimes I can't improve on a great recipe.  But sometimes I can.

I had to throw out that bit about comming up to the U.P. to learn how to cook ribs.  I know you're a great cook in your own right.  I couldn't let your head get too big.  People always have to help me fit into my existing hats too.

I like to say to people that I get better looking every day.  So if I look like this now, just think how strange I must have looked a couple of years back.

Poking fun is what I do, besides making the best ribs in the U.S.A.

Oh, wait, I didn't say that.  It was my evil twin.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Jul 23, 2015)

All good. You stand on my shoulders and I'll stand on yours


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 23, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> All good. You stand on my shoulders and I'll stand on yours



I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing us standing on each others shoulders at the same time.  Could yo explain the physics of that?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Jul 23, 2015)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing us standing on each others shoulders at the same time.  Could yo explain the physics of that?
> 
> Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



Nah, not my area of expertise


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## CarolPa (Jul 25, 2015)

I grew up very poor, but my mother would not go to any get-together without taking a dish.  We went to a corn roast once and she took her home-baked beans.  There were 2 other pots of baked beans, but at the end of the evening, her pot was empty, with spoon-scrape marks in the bottom of the pot.  The other 2 still had some leftovers.  That made her so happy, and I was so proud of her that day!  

Unfortunately, I have never been able to duplicate her recipe, but Addie's recipe might do it!!  In the meantime, it's Bush's Boston Recipe for me.  LOL


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## Addie (Jul 25, 2015)

CarolPa said:


> I grew up very poor, but my mother would not go to any get-together without taking a dish.  We went to a corn roast once and she took her home-baked beans.  There were 2 other pots of baked beans, but at the end of the evening, her pot was empty, with spoon-scrape marks in the bottom of the pot.  The other 2 still had some leftovers.  That made her so happy, and I was so proud of her that day!
> 
> Unfortunately, I have never been able to duplicate her recipe, but Addie's recipe might do it!!  In the meantime, it's* Bush's Boston Recipe *for me.  LOL



I love cold beans. So since I don't make beans the old fashion way anymore, I will buy the Bush's Boston Recipe small can. Instead of putting it in the cabinet with the other canned goods, it goes right into the fridge. I keep telling myself that I am going to heat them up and eat them hot. Yeah, only in my nightmares. I had a small 1.5 quart bean pot. I gave it to Spike. I think I will 'borrow' it back this winter and make a small pot for my daughter. She is always talking about our Saturday night bean suppers. She even loved the Cod Fish cakes that I made for the beans along with the brown bread.

Thank you all for all of your nice remarks. I really appreciate them.


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## CraigC (Jul 26, 2015)

I really like bean dishes made from "scratch". There are so many great recipes. I'll be adding Addie's to our cookbook. Cuban style black beans are so much better from "scratch" when time allows, but canned black beans can be very tasty as well, given the proper doctoring!


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## Addie (Jul 26, 2015)

CraigC said:


> I really like bean dishes made from "scratch". There are so many great recipes. I'll be adding Addie's to our cookbook. Cuban style black beans are so much better from "scratch" when time allows, but canned black beans can be very tasty as well, given the proper doctoring!



There is a reason why sites like DC and others are so popular. We all hail scratch cooking while promoting healthy cooking from prepared foods as well. I have had a lot of friends that can doctor a can of beans and their families love them. 

Like you Craig. I love scratch beans. But now the family is grown and moved into their own lives. So a small can of beans does it for me. Nothing wrong with doctoring.


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## CarolPa (Jul 27, 2015)

The Bush's canned Boston Recipe does not need doctoring, IMO.  I don't care for any of their other ones.


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## Andy M. (Jul 27, 2015)

I haven't made baked beans in years.  I stick with B&M baked beans.


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## Addie (Jul 27, 2015)

CarolPa said:


> The Bush's canned Boston Recipe does not need doctoring, IMO.  I don't care for any of their other ones.



I am with you on that Carol. There are some canned beans that no matter what you do or how you doctor them, they are still vile tasting. There is one brand (I think it is Heinz) that has a tomato base and it is for vegans. No meat flavor at all. I can't even stand to just look at them. 

But Bush's beans need no doctoring at all or in any manner. I don't even put ketchup on mine. I open the can that has been in the fridge for a couple of days, grab a spoon and eat them right out of the can. Nice and cold. Occasionally if I have some dark bread in the house, I will make a half sandwich. Reminds me of my school days when my mother would send me to school on a Monday with a bean sandwich. And I wasn't the only one. Most of the kids in the school had bean sandwiches on a Monday.


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## Addie (Jul 27, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Is that a one-pound bag of beans?



Sorry, I was just going over the whole thread and saw your question. Yes, it is a one pound bag of small (Navy) beans. If you want to make less, just adjust the recipe and cut the ingredients in half. 

I apologize for not seeing your question earlier.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 27, 2015)

Thanks, Addie


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## CarolPa (Jul 28, 2015)

Addie said:


> But Bush's beans need no doctoring at all



Addie, I don't like all Bush's beans, just the ones that specifically say Boston Recipe.  They are hard to find around here.  Only a few stores carry them.  I'll bet they are easily found in Boston.  LOL

The Heinz beans that are just in tomato sauce are for diabetics and dieters who don't want the sugary sauce.  I prefer the flavor of the sauce, but I rinse my serving to get the sauce off.  The beans still retain the flavor from the sauce but my blood sugar doesn't go sky high from the sugar.


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## Addie (Jul 28, 2015)

CarolPa said:


> Addie, I don't like all Bush's beans, just the ones that specifically say Boston Recipe.  They are hard to find around here.  Only a few stores carry them.  I'll bet they are easily found in Boston.  LOL
> 
> The Heinz beans that are just in tomato sauce are for diabetics and dieters who don't want the sugary sauce.  I prefer the flavor of the sauce, but I rinse my serving to get the sauce off.  The beans still retain the flavor from the sauce but my blood sugar doesn't go sky high from the sugar.



In  my Market Basket, they carry all of the different ones they make. But the Spanish based ones and of course "Boston Recipe" are the biggest sellers. 

Every time I hear of the difficulties of what other Dietetics go through in order to enjoy the foods they like, I am so glad I have my diabetes under such good control. And I did it all with diet alone. I don't have to take any meds, eat pretty much what I want, and never have any reaction. It is one of the reasons I have lost so much weight. Mainly no carbs. But I have to admit, I am somewhat confused. If beans are so good for us, then why are beans with sauce so bad when they taste so good?


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## Zagut (Jul 28, 2015)

Addie, I think that's the rule from The Powers That Be. 

If it tastes good  then it's bad for you.


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## CarolPa (Jul 28, 2015)

The beans are extremely healthy, but the sauce has the brown sugar and molasses that really spikes my blood sugar!


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## Addie (Jul 28, 2015)

Zagut said:


> Addie, I think that's the rule from The Powers That Be.
> 
> If it tastes good  then it's bad for you.



Every so often I tell the Powers That Be where to go. I am going to eat that small can of beans. Sauce and all. It makes me happy. 

I figure being happy is part of being healthy.


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