Baked Beans
My favorite thing on the Dem Bones menu, other than the sweet potato pie from 27th Street Bakery, has to be my grandpa’s slow-cooked beans. I don’t know his recipe specifically but over the years, I’ve found something that brings my memories close. Make sure to stir periodically so the beans don’t stick to the bottom.
1 cup dried pinto beans
1 bunch fresh thyme
4 cups water
12 ounces thick-cut bacon (about 5 strips), roughly chopped
3 celery ribs, roughly
chopped (1 cup)
2 red bell peppers, cored and roughly chopped (2 1⁄3 cups)
2 green bell peppers, cored and roughly chopped (2 1⁄3 cups)
1 1⁄2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
(3 1⁄2 cups)
5 garlic cloves, thinly
sliced
8 cups low-sodium
chicken stock
2 cups ketchup
1 cup packed light brown
sugar
1 cup maple syrup, honey
or agave
1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared
yellow mustard
2 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Tabasco hot
sauce
2 teaspoons crushed red
chile flakes
1 teaspoon brown mustard
seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon whole cumin
seeds
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Kosher salt
1 In a large bowl, combine the beans and thyme. Pour in the 4 cups of water, cover the bowl and let the beans soak for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
2 Place the bacon in a large saucepan, then place over medium heat. After the bacon begins to sizzle, cook until it has rendered most of its fat and is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, bell peppers and onions, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, two minutes more.
3 Uncover the beans and pour them into the pot, including the soaking liquid and thyme. Pour in the chicken stock, ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, prepared mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, chile flakes, mustard seeds, garlic powder, cumin seeds and pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the beans, stirring occasionally to prevent anything burning, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced and thickened, two hours to two hours and 15 minutes.
4 Remove the pot from the heat and season the beans with salt. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Or, preferably, let cool completely and refrigerate for at least one day before reheating and serving.