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
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.
