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Not-Really Maine Baked Beans

Not-Really Maine Baked Beans

These amazing baked beans far surpass anything out of a can. This is a recipe adapted from The Complete Tightwad Gazette. This recipe will make a good sized batch of baked beans, plan on leftovers.
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 lbs dry beans (about 5 cups)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 1/2 lbs bacon, turkey bacon, farmer's bacon, sausage, or ground meat (optional)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2/3 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Pick over the beans to remove any stones or debris and rinse thoroughly.
  • Soak the beans in plain water the night before you want to cook them or up to 24 hours. I usually soak them right in the stockpot I’ll use to cook them in, making sure I’ve added plenty of water. The beans will swell and nearly triple in volume.
  • At the end of your soaking time, drain the soaking water off, give them a good rinse, and put the beans back in the stockpot and cover with fresh water. Add the baking soda, then parboil the beans until the skins crack when blown upon.
  • If you are using sausage or ground meat, you’ll want to brown it when the beans are close to done.
  • You’ll need 2 bean pots or large casserole dishes for baking the beans. Cut the onions into a large dice and mix in with the beans. Divide the parboiled beans between the two dishes, reserving a quart of water.
  • If using bacon or farmer’s bacon (uncured), cut and add to the top of the beans. If using sausage, add the browned sausage now.
  • In a separate bowl, mix honey, molasses, dry mustard, and salt with the quart of reserved bean water. Mix well to combine and then divide between the two dishes.
  • Bake at 300 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. You may need to add additional water during baking.

Notes

This recipe can be cooked in the Sun Oven or other solar cooker without any changes to the ingredients. Maintain 350° in your Sun Oven for 6 hours. Begin testing for doneness at around the 4 hour mark when you are repositioning the oven. Sometimes they'll be done early, sometimes they'll need longer than 6 hours.