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Recipe Mon Apr 26 2010
No-Bakin' Bacon-Bacon Beans
I recently moved, and while my kitchen was the first room I unpacked, a busy spring has kept me from getting to know the oven in my new apartment--an older appliance that I suspect will require tricks that will take time to learn. Thus, when the craving for homemade baked beans hit me last week, I decided it was time to learn how to make this campfire favorite on the stove top.
The result was rich and creamy with a touch of smoke due to the gorgeous Rancho Gordo heirloom Yellow Eye beans I used and my extra crispy (some might say charred) preparation of the bacon. But it's very hard to go wrong with this dish, especially with all of the pork involved.
Bacon-Bacon Stovetop Beans
1 cup dried white beans soaked in water overnight
1 small onion
1 whole clove
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider or white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon or more your choice hot sauce (I used 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon
Drain and rinse the pre-soaked beans. Add them to a pot. Peel the onion and cut it in half lengthwise. Insert the clove into one of the halves and place both pieces of onion in the pot with the beans.
Add the garlic and bay leaf to the pot and cover with water a scant inch above the beans. Partly cover the pot and simmer the beans for 45 minutes to 1 hour until just tender and there is just enough water left to keep the beans wet. (The amount of time required to soften the beans will vary depending on what kind you use and the age of your beans.)
Remove the onion (including clove) and bay leaf. Add the salt to the pot and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients listed after salt except the bacon. Add this mixture to the beans and mix well. Add a slice of bacon to the pot and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the beans have thickened.
Meanwhile, fry the rest of the bacon and pat with paper towels to remove excess grease. Cut into 1" pieces. When you are ready to serve the beans, toss them with all but a few pieces of the fried bacon. Use the remaining pieces for garnish.
Makes 2 porky servings
Adapted from The New York Times
