homemade bbq baked beans

homemade american baked beans

Baked beans at a BBQ are about as American as it gets. Except that most people get their beans out of a can. The can is filled with sugar. I mean filled. In fact, upon doing research for this dish, I found that most recipes have 1 cup of maple syrup and 1 cup of brown sugar. Let’s just call it dessert why don’t we. I have cut the sugar significantly and let me tell you - I didn’t miss it. Also, I should mention this was the MOST popular dish at my last BBQ.

Yield: 2 quarts baked beans

Rating: Takes a while, with the soaking the beans and the long cook time. But no hard techniques and it is really tasty.

Ingredients:

16 ounces Great Northern White Beans

2 large onions, chopped small

3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon mustard seed

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups water

Directions:

Place your beans in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Cover with plastic and put your bowl in the fridge to soak your beans overnight - a good 12 hours.

In a large pot (I like to use a Dutch oven – aka Le Cruset) heat your oil under a medium flame and add your onions, garlic and 1/4 tablespoon of salt. Cook for 12 minutes, mixing occasionally. Add your Worcestershire, maple syrup, brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, chili powder, mustard seed, mustard powder, black pepper, your remaining 1 ¾ tablespoons of salt and your water. Mix well and bring your mixture to a boil. Lower your flame to simmer and cook for at least 5 hours (6 hours worked best for me but 5 is ok too), mixing occasionally. Serve when ready.

Plan Ahead:

You can cook your beans up to 4 days ahead of time and leave them in the fridge until you are ready to serve.