Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
A while ago, I posted a recipe for baked beans. Some found it delightful, while ohers shared their favorite bean recipes. Some like their beans spice, while others wanted sweet, and still others savory. I can't eat legumes any more, but still have all of the bean knowledge I acculated over the years. Truthfully, I won a baked bean contest at one point.
First, let me dispel a myth. Salted does not keep beans from softening. It does firm the skin and keep that skin from rupturing. So if you are cooking from dried beans, go ahead and salt the wqter. It will season the beans and produce a better end product.
Acids, such as tomato, or vinegar will keep the beans from becoming tender. Do not add acidic ingredients to beans until after they are fully cooked.. Thise include tomato, and prepared yellow mustard.
Ok, now for the cheats:
Use pre-coooked beans. You cn purchase them plain. You can puchase great white, navy, and pinto beans alread cooked. Of course you will also find red beans, and both llight, and dark kiidney beans, along with butter beans, and black beans. They will all owrk for baked beans.
My favorite easy eans are made with:
VanCamp's Pork and Beans - these are lightly sweetened with a touch of tomato, and good pork flavor. They are easily altered by adding molasses, brown sugar, onion, chili powder, and or prepared yellow mustard. You can add whichever of these ingredients you choose and simply gooke them in a pot on the stove top. The additions of smoked hog jowl, bacon, or ham is another good addition.
Bush's Beans - These come in a variety of flavors, from the extra browwn sugar in the Country Style, to the savory, smokey flavor of the Ranch Style. I prefer the Original Recipe, and the Country Style, as they are easiest to modify. I like to add pork, fresh onion, and a touch of chili powder to them.
For a moe robust, darker flavor, and our family's favorite, I like B & M baked beans. They have less brown sugar, and mor mollases. Again, I like to add more pork, and a bit of chili powder.
Oh, all of these are good with a little yellow mustard added as well.
Ok, now for something new, especially for those that like a more savory bean dish: First, let me explain how I came up with this idea. I was researching different soy sauce types and came across a site that described the various typs available in China, Japan, and Thailand. From what I read, the two that sparked my imagination were double black soy sauce, describes as thicker, and sweeter that dark soy sauce, due to the addition of molasses toe the sark soy sauce. The site said that you could make a fair copy by mixing a good dark soy sauce, like Kikoman, and some molasses. I had both in the house, and so I mixed them in a small ramekin. After,tasting, I knew it would be great in lo mein noodles, or with rice dishes, and stir fries. Then, after playing with the sauce a bit on my tongue, I realized that this combo of flavors would pair well with beans. It's more complex that simple mollases, and not as sweet as most bean recipes. You wouldn't need to add salt either. Add a little black pepper, and maybe some fresh hot peppers and this could be a winner. I just with I could make a pot and try it out. U know the flavors would work.
The double black soy sauce would also be great mixed in with pulled pork, r slathered on ribs smoked over charcoal.
Mix a little soy sauce with mollases and see what you think. Then share your thoughts, and any ideas how you could use it. I'm looking forward to your recopies, and responses.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
First, let me dispel a myth. Salted does not keep beans from softening. It does firm the skin and keep that skin from rupturing. So if you are cooking from dried beans, go ahead and salt the wqter. It will season the beans and produce a better end product.
Acids, such as tomato, or vinegar will keep the beans from becoming tender. Do not add acidic ingredients to beans until after they are fully cooked.. Thise include tomato, and prepared yellow mustard.
Ok, now for the cheats:
Use pre-coooked beans. You cn purchase them plain. You can puchase great white, navy, and pinto beans alread cooked. Of course you will also find red beans, and both llight, and dark kiidney beans, along with butter beans, and black beans. They will all owrk for baked beans.
My favorite easy eans are made with:
VanCamp's Pork and Beans - these are lightly sweetened with a touch of tomato, and good pork flavor. They are easily altered by adding molasses, brown sugar, onion, chili powder, and or prepared yellow mustard. You can add whichever of these ingredients you choose and simply gooke them in a pot on the stove top. The additions of smoked hog jowl, bacon, or ham is another good addition.
Bush's Beans - These come in a variety of flavors, from the extra browwn sugar in the Country Style, to the savory, smokey flavor of the Ranch Style. I prefer the Original Recipe, and the Country Style, as they are easiest to modify. I like to add pork, fresh onion, and a touch of chili powder to them.
For a moe robust, darker flavor, and our family's favorite, I like B & M baked beans. They have less brown sugar, and mor mollases. Again, I like to add more pork, and a bit of chili powder.
Oh, all of these are good with a little yellow mustard added as well.
Ok, now for something new, especially for those that like a more savory bean dish: First, let me explain how I came up with this idea. I was researching different soy sauce types and came across a site that described the various typs available in China, Japan, and Thailand. From what I read, the two that sparked my imagination were double black soy sauce, describes as thicker, and sweeter that dark soy sauce, due to the addition of molasses toe the sark soy sauce. The site said that you could make a fair copy by mixing a good dark soy sauce, like Kikoman, and some molasses. I had both in the house, and so I mixed them in a small ramekin. After,tasting, I knew it would be great in lo mein noodles, or with rice dishes, and stir fries. Then, after playing with the sauce a bit on my tongue, I realized that this combo of flavors would pair well with beans. It's more complex that simple mollases, and not as sweet as most bean recipes. You wouldn't need to add salt either. Add a little black pepper, and maybe some fresh hot peppers and this could be a winner. I just with I could make a pot and try it out. U know the flavors would work.
The double black soy sauce would also be great mixed in with pulled pork, r slathered on ribs smoked over charcoal.
Mix a little soy sauce with mollases and see what you think. Then share your thoughts, and any ideas how you could use it. I'm looking forward to your recopies, and responses.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
