Slow-Cooked Homemade Baked Beans

Submitted by TasteTester

"I like making baked beans from dried beans because they are not as mushy as canned baked beans. I found this recipe on a package of Publix dried navy beans. I make it as written on the package, but I add a few extra slices of bacon, 3 ounces of tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon vinegar. The "cooking" time does not include the time for soaking the beans."

 

• Ready In: 10hrs 25mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 10-15

ingredients

• 6 slices smoked bacon
• 16 ounces dried navy beans
• 1 1⁄2 cups ketchup
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄4 cup molasses
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon salt

directions

1. QUICK SOAK: Place 16 ounces of dried beans in a large saucepan with 6-8 cups of water. Cover and let stand overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans (discard soak water).
2. OVERNIGHT SOAK: Place 16 ounces of dried beans in a large saucepan with 6-8 cups water. Cover and let stand overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans (discard soak water).
3. TO COOK BEANS: Add 6 cups fresh water to the beans after soaking. Cover and bring just to boiling on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently with lid tilted, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until desired tenderness. Stir gently and very little to prevent breaking of skins; add water, if needed, during cook time. Makes about 6 cups of cooked beans.
4. TO MAKE BAKED BEANS: Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces. Combine with remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Stir occasionally, if possible. Makes about 10 cups of baked beans. Note: the number of servings below depends on how many other side dishes there are.

Reviews

[Linda B.]

I followed directions explicitly. I even let the beans soak longer than said....I put everything in the crockpot and cooked overnight.....my beans are rock hard and unable to eat....I'm discouraged , and wasted all that money to make them.....not a happy camper!

 

[Caryn Dalton]

When you need to feed a crowd and you expect to have even a little bit for your own family, you better double this cause it is GONE and quickly. I like tinkering with recipes but I just made this as written with some toum (garlic paste) in the initial quick soak bean method. Then, I make my beans in my instant-pot on the beans setting (pressure cook for 30 minutes). Drain, then proceed to make the baked beans recipe. I have a friend whose husband will NEVER eat beans and he tried these because of their smell (they are savory and tangy and sweet) and she said "Those baked beans made a believer out of him!" Thanks for posting this! BTW, I gave that friend my copy of the printed recipe then needed to make it again (I'm making it for the third time for a crowd) and couldn't remember which one it was on Food.com. But I remembered it came from a Publix bag of beans so I went on the Publix website to find it...nope. There is some other recipe that starts with cans. No thanks. This is the real McKoy and it's totally worth the effort. :)

 

[Nifty1Deb]

This is my third time making this recipe and thought I should take the time to rate it. "Really Good" from my hubby is an extreme compliment, and those were his exact words. Didn't read the tip of tom paste and vinegar until today, I might try it today, but honestly, I don't think they need it. I've made my beans from dried beans for decades and "can" tell the difference. I learned to add 2-3 T whey left over from making my yogurt (I freeze it in ice cube trays) to help with the digestibility (not for those who have lactose trouble). Also, when I cook the beans I add a ham bone or hock, bay leaf and pepper corns. Thanks for sharing the Publix recipe, especially since I don't have those in CA!

 

[sjkotylak]

These rocked! I made it with a bag of pinto beans since that's what I had and threw in a few tbsp of tomato paste and a bit of extra bacon like TasteTester suggested. I wish I had made a double batch! Made for PAC Spring '12