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Recipe

Flavorful Baked Beans

440 min • 8 to 10 servings •
Jean Oh
A plate of baked beans topped with crispy bacon sits on a kitchen counter beside a pot of beans and a knife.

I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa and think her cookbooks are a must for anyone who is a home cook. But we all like to tweke to our own tastes and I did to create this side dish for a friend’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit!

Ready

  • 2 lbs dry light red kidney beans
  • 2 large onions, cut into thick slices (approx 1”)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 15 whole black peppercorns
  • 1-½ dark amber maple syrup
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup Heinz ketchup
  • 2 tbsp Chinese chili garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tspn fresh lemon juice (basically a good squeeze from ½ lemon, because I put lemon in everything to brighten flavor)
  • ⅛ tspn dry English mustard
  • 2 tspn kosher salt
  • 1 lbs smoked bacon, cubed

    • Set

  • Extra large bowl
  • Stock pot
  • Medium saucepan
  • 7 quart Dutch oven
  • Colander
  • Knife and cutting board
  • Wooden spoons
  • Measuring cups and spoons

    • Go!

  • Put beans into large bowl or pot, cover with cold water and cover with plastic. Make sure there is plenty of room for the beans to ‘grow’ and at least 3 inches of water above the beans. Refrigerate 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
  • In large pot – I use a stock pot – place 4 quarts of cold water, the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes, until tender. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.
  • Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, chili garlic paste, ginger, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 6 minutes.
  • Put the beans into a 7 quart Dutch oven and mix in half the bacon. Lay the rest of the bacon on top like a crust, then pour the sauce over the entire pot.
  • Put pot into hot 225°F oven and bake for 6 hours (or up to 8 hours if you are leaving the house). Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving.

    • Recommendations

    Need to allot for:
    The beans need to be soaked overnight.
    The cooking process includes baking for at least 6 hours.

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