Real!!!! Baked beans

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i have to admit i had to look up two things on this thread..
anathema-a person or thing detested or loathed...
and
barking spyder eggs-since i live in California i had to look it up. i didn't find anything on it, but now i have to ask people if they've heard of that term.
 
lol. ok...now i get it...unfortunately i don't think we really use it that much...i will resurrect the phrase! just you wait and see!
 
That trick with boiling the beans for two minutes and then letting them sit for an hour before boiling them for real, works amazingly well. Much better than overnight soaking. Learned it here.

The only time I ever enjoyed baked beans was when a friend made them. She used fresh beans from her garden and bear as the meat.
 
I, for one, could eat baked beans at every meal. I did last night.

Even though I've lived in Boston fir more than half my life, I still don't like a really heavy molasses bean.

And don't believe anyone that says not to add salt till the end if cooking. Salt doesn't inhibit softening
 
Hi, I am trying to find a recipe for real baked beans and most of the recipes seem to use canned beans. I tried many years ago to make baked beans in my slow cooker and they were as hard as rocks. I soaked them overnight and also simmered them for about an hour the next day before I put them into the crock pot. Go figure!!
I do have an old fashioned bean crock which I could also use so I would appreciate any REAL bean recipes out there...
Take care and have a great day.
Summer
If this was addressed, I missed it. If there was tomato or ketchup (anything with tomatoes) in it, that could explain the hard beans. For some reason beans cooked in a slow cooker with tomato often turn out hard.
 
I hardly measure anything, just taste, but I add onions, brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. I mix it all till it tastes just right to me, brown ground beef, drain and add bean mixture, put all in baking dish, lay strips of bacon over top and bake at 350 degrees. I have always made them like this and EVERYONE asks for the recipe. My daughter in law recently took them to a church dinner and said they were a huge hit! May not sound too good, but I swear, they are delicious, better than any I've had anywhere.
 
I make mine similar to RockLobster BUT I use maple syrup (okay, I'm rubbing it in--we are evap'ing 40 liters of sap tonight...that is TODAY's haul from our 6 taps). The forge has been going 24/7 since yesterday.
 
I make mine similar to RockLobster BUT I use maple syrup (okay, I'm rubbing it in--we are evap'ing 40 liters of sap tonight...that is TODAY's haul from our 6 taps). The forge has been going 24/7 since yesterday.

Doesn't 40 litres of sap give 1 litre of syrup?
 
I, for one, could eat baked beans at every meal. I did last night.

Even though I've lived in Boston fir more than half my life, I still don't like a really heavy molasses bean.

And don't believe anyone that says not to add salt till the end if cooking. Salt doesn't inhibit softening

The need to salt at the end is because of evaporation. Salting just 20 minutes before the beans are done will result in too salty beans.:ohmy:

I learned it the hard way.
 
Doesn't 40 litres of sap give 1 litre of syrup?

Yup--that's what they say. It takes about 24 hours to evap 40 liters to 1 liter of syrup. And it you don't watch it during the "finishing stage" you can end up with sugar--which is less than 1 liter of syrup.

Good news--the "lake" is now just a swamp. Only about 6-10 inches of water to wade through to reach the sap buckets.
 
I make mine similar to RockLobster BUT I use maple syrup (okay, I'm rubbing it in--we are evap'ing 40 liters of sap tonight...that is TODAY's haul from our 6 taps). The forge has been going 24/7 since yesterday.
I was supposed to help my father in law tap this past weekend at his place up near Algonquin Park. He went ahead and did it without me, so I guess I'll just head up tomorrow and help him where ever he needs me.
 
Swedish brown beans--taxlady, what kind of beans are used? Do you have a recipe for these?

Never heard of them before, but apparently they are called, "bruna bönor". According to Swedish Wikipedia, they use "brown beans". :LOL:

250px-Bruine_boon_Noordhollandse_Bruine_%28Phaseolus_vulgaris%29.jpg


It says that outside of Sweden and Finland these beans are used a lot in the U.S., especially for "chile con carne".
 
The need to salt at the end is because of evaporation. Salting just 20 minutes before the beans are done will result in too salty beans.:ohmy:

I learned it the hard way.

The issue is proper seasoning. Food needs to be seasoned up front at the beginning of the cooking process and only adjusted at the end. Beans should be salted as they begin to cook.

There is a "kitchen myth" that salt prevents dry beans from softening. This isn't true.

Acid and old beans are the likely cause of beans not softening.

If one insists on salting at the end you won't end up with beans that are too salty -- like all cooking just salt to taste. But what you will end up with is a pot of beans that won't taste as good because the seasoning hasn't been cooked in.
 
Just reporting back. Mine were fantastic! I boiled in plain water for an hour, drained and cooled for a couple hours (outside on the deck), then I simmered in the ham stock stuff I made the day before and let them absorb all that yummy goodness. At the end I tossed in a small tin of tomato paste, a handful of brown sugar and waved the molasses carton at the dutch oven. Then I chopped all the leftover ham (and crumbled the last of the bacon) and tossed it all in. Nirvana. They were without exception the best beans I've made.

I didn't realize that the soaking step could be replaced with boiling and cooling. This was MUCH better and my beans were uniformly soft and tender. Thanks everyone!
 
Unfortunately, kidney beans are NOT Swedish brown beans. I assumed they were common in Denmark as well (maybe now that the bridge is built, they will become incorporated into Danish cooking...). Of course, having a recipe wouldn't help if I can't find a source for the beans <g>. Although, I see I can order them online. I am hoping I can find them in MN so I don't have to order 10 lb. I am already envisioning my re-entry into Canada with spices from The Spice House, wild rice, some of the Mexican food ingredients...good thing Porter Air allows two bags...one's going to be full of foodie stuff <g>.
 
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