There are many recipes for baked beans. I have several recipes that I make using different beans and different ingredients producing a sweeter baked bean or a more savory tangy baked bean. No matter which way they are prepared, baked beans are delicious. This yummy recipe for baked beans with pork is an easy and cheap way to feed a family using a leftover ham bone — perfect for after the holidays!
Yesterday I cooked a ham, so today I decided to make a pot of baked beans using the ham bone. I grew up eating dried beans that were cooked for hours in the oven, using a piece of uncured bacon (instead of ham). The aroma filled the kitchen and smelled delicious. I enjoyed this style of baked bean. Since my mom soaked them overnight and then cooked them almost all day, we did not have them often, but we did have other types of baked beans more frequently. Baked beans is a frugal way of feeding a family and I think the reason we ate them often as a kid. A few cups of beans go a long way! Typically beans are soaked overnight, but I learned that soaking is not necessary unless you are at a high elevation. Without soaking though, it will take a lot longer to cook.
I found the history of baked beans to be quite interesting. Traditionally, Indigenous peoples sweetened baked beans with maple syrup or maple sugar until the 1600’s when colonists began using brown sugar instead. In the 1700’s, molasses began being used more to avoid the British sugar tax. Indigenous peoples placed beans in earthern pots mixed with maple sugar and bear fat and placed in a hole in the ground lined with hot coals to cook the beans slowly. The British who came here to the “New World” adopted this way of cooking beans as it resembled the familiar pease porridge that they loved. They used molasses instead of maple sugar and salt pork instead of bear fat and parboiled the beans before cooking them for several hours in a cast iron pot (or bean pot) over the outdoor fire or at the edge of the hearth over coals, or even in a brick oven. Onion and mustard were added to bean recipes in the 1800’s to flavor the beans as well. In the 1800’s, many households cooked beans because they could cook slowly on the wood cookstove and be had for supper and then again for breakfast the next day. It was a way to stretch a meal. In 1905 Henry Heinz began canning beans as a way to promote a quick meal for workers. In the 20th century, baked beans began to change, adding tomato sauce, vinegar and brown sugar along with other spices to make a more sour tangy baked bean. For hundreds of years, beans have been a staple, served at the dinner table feeding many hungry families. It has been a favorite in my family and I enjoy making beans in a variety of ways.
I am going to share how I make these yummy baked beans with pork (you can use either ham or bacon) that uses just a few simple ingredients — and no added sweetener which makes them a bit different!
Let’s get started!
In my dutch oven, I added 1 lb of beans (I am using navy beans), half a large onion that has been chopped, 1 carrot that has been diced, salt and pepper and 2 bay leaves along with the ham bone. I added water to cover the beans. I placed the lid on and tossed it into the oven. Bake at 350F for several hours, almost half a day, checking each hour and adding more water if necessary. The beans will cook until tender.
These beans have now been cooking for 4 hours. They are starting to split which means they are cooked. I always taste them to see how tender the beans are and if they need any additional seasonings. I then remove the ham bone, chop up the ham and toss half the ham back into the beans and keep the other half of the ham for soup.
I also added about 1/3 cup of ketchup. You can use tomato sauce instead if you like. Stir well and toss back into the oven, uncovered to cook for about 30 minutes or until the beans are completely tender.
After that last half hour of cooking without the lid, the beans thickened nicely and lightly browned. The beans ended up cooking for 5 hours. I removed them from the oven and put the lid on and let them sit while I prepared the rest of our meal.
These beans are absolutely delicious. And they freeze really well too. Once cooled completely, place in a container and place in the fridge overnight, then the next day, place in the freezer. These beans can be frozen up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge, reheat and enjoy.
Baked Beans with Ham
1 lb of beans – I am using navy beans
half a large onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/2 tsp salt
fresh cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 ham bone
1/3 cup ketchup or tomato sauce
Combine beans, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves and ham bone in a large dutch oven pot. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cover. Bake at 350F for several hours, checking each hour to stir and adding more water if necessary. The beans will cook until tender, about 4 hours.
Remove ham bone and chop ham. Return ham to beans. I always add half the ham back and keep half the ham for soup. Add ketchup and stir. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until beans are tender, sauce has thickened and lightly golden. Serve. Can be placed in a container once cooled and placed in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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