Old Fashioned Baked Beans
Tender dried navy beans are slow-baked with thick-cut bacon, dark molasses, brown sugar, and tangy cider vinegar for a rich, sweet, and smoky Old Fashioned Baked Bean glaze.
Equipment
- Dutch oven (6 quart)
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 8 ounces thick cut bacon diced
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup plain tomato sauce or ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Soak the navy beans overnight under several inches of water, then drain them and simmer in fresh water for 1 hour before draining again and reserving the cooking liquid. The beans should be tender through the center while the skins remain mostly intact.
- Cook the diced bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp, then soften the onion for 5 to 7 minutes and stir in the garlic for 1 minute. The onion should look translucent and smell sweet before the sauce ingredients go in.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, then add the beans and 1 1/2 cups reserved bean liquid and bring the mixture to a brief simmer. The sauce should coat the beans evenly before the pot goes into the oven.
- Cover the Dutch oven and bake on the middle rack at 325 °F for 2 to 3 hours, uncovering it for the last 20 to 30 minutes and adding reserved bean liquid if the pot looks dry. Finish when the beans are tender and the sauce is thick, glossy, and bubbling around crisp-edged bacon pieces.
Notes
Troubleshooting tough beans: If dealing with older dried beans, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per pound of dried beans during parboiling to help soften them before adding acidic sauce ingredients.
Sauce thickness: Always reserve 2 cups of starchy bean cooking liquid before draining. Stir it in gradually if the sauce tightens during baking, or mash 1 cup of beans against the pot side to naturally thicken a thin glaze.
Glaze caramelization: Keep the Dutch oven covered for most of the bake, then uncover for the final 20 to 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and the bacon edges to crisp.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.