When you think of baked or cooked beans, you think of a big cast iron pot on top of a roaring fire while camping in the woods or while watching a western on television. They come in many shapes and sizes and are an inexpensive and delicious meal that is filling and often nutritious.
The history of baked beans is a complicated one. Most feel that the Native American Indian was the first to make it a staple of their diet. The most famous is probably the Boston Baked Bean. Boston is called Bean Town. They are made with rich molasses, salt pork, pepper, and onions. Slow-cooked for a long time it creates a light crust that many feel is the best part.
In today's cuisine, it is most associated with barbecue. It's nearly impossible to go to a barbecue restaurant without having baked beans. They are usually filled with bits of barbecue itself to give off an amazing flavor.
Below is a very simple recipe for baked beans that anyone can do. If you'd like you can have bits of ham, salt pot, or even bits of pork chop or beef. Most today use bacon. The key is to NOT cook the bacon with the beans because the bacon will not be crispy. If you crave the rendered bacon fat, use some of the bacon that you cooked.
How to make canned baked beans taste homemade
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Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can of baked beans like Bush's Homestyle
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 slices bacon cooked (optional; 2-4 pieces is good per taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a 9-inch oven-proof skillet or 2.5-quart baking dish, mix the beans, brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup.
- Bake until bubbling around the edges and hot in the center--about 25-30 minutes. If you are using bacon, put cut-up cooked strips on top of the beans for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Ham, sliced sausage, cut up barbecue meat or other meats can be used instead of the bacon. Serve warm.
Tips:
Other things that can be added before cooking are chopped up bell peppers, sliced sausage, barbecue sauce of your choice and hot sauce.
Things that you can add to it after cooking are cilantro, salsa, cut up jalapeno's or add more bits of meat.
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