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 BBS: The GWE BBS
Date: Thu Oct (13 19)              Number: 73
From: LEVIATHAN #76 @15490         Refer#: NONE
  To:                               Recvd: YES 
Subj: Baked Beans from scratch       Conf: (37) Home Cooki
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The problem with buying "pork and beans" in a can is that it is... well... bad.


But if you have about 10 dollars and a little time, you can make ten times what

you find in that little can, and it'll be twice as good.

You need:

A big bag of navy beans ($1.25 at my local supermarket... cheaper in bulk!)
lots of tomatoes (canned tomatoes are good for this -- two big cans)
prepared mustard
chili powder
molasses
salt 'n pepper
bacon (optional, but gooooooood)
onions (2 or 3 large ones)
other stuff you think would be neat.

Now, I don't do this according to a strict recepe.  But here's what you do:

(1) rinse the navy beans, then soak them all day in a big pot.
(2) put the pot on the stove and start them boiling
(3) chop up a few slices of bacon (4 or 5) and drop them into the boiling water

(don't worry, they'll cook)
(4) ditto for the onions

(5) now add the tomatoes, cut into pieces.  If you use canned tomatoes, still

cut them a bit, and use all the juice.

(6) pour in between 1/2 and 3/4 cup of molasses (it depends on the exact

quantity of beans... 1/2 cup assumes 1/2 lb of beans, and I like a bit more

than that anyway...)

(7) add 1 teaspoon (or a bit more...) of mustard
(8) add 2 teaspoons of salt
(9) add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
(10) add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (yes, really)

boil all this for about an hour, stirring occasionally so that it won't stick.

Then check it and add more chili powder to taste, but don't overwhelm the beans

with chili!!!   This is not mexican food!   You can also add more molasses if

you don't think there's enough.

then swich the whole mess to an oven pot large enough to take it all. You want

to bake it for between four and eight hours, stirring occasionally and addiding

liquid as needed, until the beans are tender, have split, and are brown right

through.  The onion and tomato will have boiled right down and you will

basically see brown beans and bits of bacon, nicely cooked.

when you're ready to serve it, add finely chopped green pepper or whatever else

you think might be nice.

Once you've had these beans, you'll never buy a can again.  I do this about

once every two months or so, and the batch always lasts a couple of weeks

(unless I eat nothing but beans for a few days!)


Enjoy.


Leviathan... kitchen monster.