You make these beans once, and that regular canned stuff won't ever do again. This dish is hearty, sticks to your ribs, warms you up good, and fills a cowboy's energy back up after a long day on the prairie.
Now technically, this recipe not only makes this delicious stew, but its base is essentially homemade baked beans. That's why I said above that if you try this, you won't go back to the cans.
INGREDIENTS
1 - 16 Ounce Bag of Great Northern Beans
1 Pound Ground Burger (the leaner the better)
1 Pound Pork
1 Package (2.5 Ounces) Pre-Cooked Bacon (or ten strip raw bacon)
1 Medium Size Yellow Onion - Diced
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic (or 1/2 Teaspoon if omitting the meat)
1 Cup Tomato Sauce (or 1/2 Cup if omitting the meat)
1/2 Cup Molasses (or 1/4 Cup if omitting the meat)
1 Cup Brown Sugar - Packed (or 1/2 Cup if omitting the meat)
4 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (or 2 Tablespoons if omitting the meat)
2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard (or 1 Tablespoon if omitting the meat)
4 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce (or 2 Teaspoons if omitting the meat)
2 Teaspoons Paprika (or 1 Teaspoon if omitting the meat)
4 Teaspoons Salt (or 2 Teaspoons if omitting the meat)
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper (or 1/2 Teaspoon if omitting the meat)
2 Bay Leaves (or 1 leaf if omitting the meat)
1 1/2 Cups Cooked Bean Water - You may need more (See Below)
First and foremost, you cannot throw this recipe together at the last minute. You must plan ahead to soak your beans overnight (8 hours minimum, but up to 24 hours). Do so by emptying the bag into a large bowl or the pot you plan on cooking in (which must be oven safe).
Fill the bowl to the top with water. There's no such thing as too much...unless of course it overflows and spills. Common sense is a must in that regard.
Much like dough, your beans should double in size when they're ready to be cooked. I started soaking these at 1:00 PM on a Sunday, and began cooking at 6:00 AM on the following Monday (it was a holiday, yeah!)
Drain your beans, and pour them into a pot. You want to then fill the pot as much as possible with water, but no less than two inches above the beans.
Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce the heat just enough to keep a simmer going. Then cover the pot, and let this cook for one hour, stirring every ten to fifteen minutes to ensure the beans don't stick to the bottom.
In the last fifteen minutes of this first cooking, turn your oven on to 325 degrees, and dice your onion and bacon. Let's pause here a moment. I'm using precooked bacon, and there's a reason for that. It's the same reason I am going to use the lowest fat content of ground beef I can find. I don't want all that grease in my beans. Sure, it will add flavor, and some people prefer it, so if that is your preference, still follow this step, and dice up your bacon (raw). Or omit the meat if going full vegetarian.
Next up, we'll prepare the sauce.
Combine the Tomato Sauce, Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, Molasses, Brown Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Paprika, Salt and Pepper, and stir it up good to combine it.
When your hour of cooking is done, carefully remove it from the heat, and drain the beans through a colander into something large enough to catch all the bean water. You want to keep this. DON'T THROW IT OUT!
Measure off 1 1/2 Cups bean water, but again, do not throw out the rest. You may need more. Add your Bay Leaves (leaf) to this, and let them (it) sit in the hot liquid.
In your same pot / pan you initially cooked your beans in, add your bacon. If raw, this fat will also be used to render your onions. First, you'll need to cook your bacon to your desired temperature. If using precooked bacon, and wanting to keep it less greasy, add the bacon, and onion together.
Let this heat up for a bit (or cook it through if using raw bacon), and then add your garlic, and stir.
Next add your meat, and let it cook until brown. While it's cooking, add your measured out bean water with Bay Leaves to your sauce mixture, and gently stir it to combine, avoiding breaking your Leaves.
When your meat is browned, if you desire, carefully drain it to remove excess grease and / or fat. I highly recommend this step, regardless of whether or not you used raw bacon.
Now add your beans, and gently toss to incorporated, being careful to not mash the beans in the process.
Add your sauce to the mixture, and again gently fold it together to avoid mashing the beans and / or breaking the Bay Leaves. Now you have to make a decision. If you like sticky beans with minimal juice, simple put a lid over this, and pop it in the oven. If you like a little juice in your beans, add another 1/2 Cup of your reserved bean water.
Regardless of whether or not you add the extra bean water or not, your next step is to cover it, and put it in the oven. Say goodbye to them for the next two and a half hours.
After the two and a half hours cook time (you're up to three and a half for those of you keeping track), carefully take the hot lid off, and let the beans cook an additional thirty minutes uncovered.
Before you do, this is your last opportunity to add more bean juice if you find them to be too sticky for your liking. Simply give the pan a gentle shake to see how much liquid is below the beans. Don't let the sticky layer, such as that above, fool you. There could be a lot more liquid below that you don't see. So, don't just add the liquid based on the top of the pan. Let it jiggle, as they say, to see what is underneath.
Once it's done cooking the final thirty minutes, carefully remove it from the oven, and give it a stir.
This is the consistency I like. Not too sticky, but not too runny.
Now, sure, you could decide you hate yourself, and immediately shovel that pile of hot lava into your mouth, or you could let it cool uncovered, and set a bit more, for the next thirty minutes. I highly recommend this. Not only will this dissipate more of the liquid while it sits, but also give you time to prep anything you plan on having on the side with it. A nice wedge of bread, for example. Or, as I like to do it, scooped over a nice bowl full of tater tots (or mashed potatoes).
Now that's a cowboy casserole! Regardless of how you do it, you know what's up. Get you a spoon (or fork), and get you some!
No, it's not as quick as popping the top off of a can, nor is it as convenient. But, I guarantee you, it's a thousand times better. You won't go back to the can once you try this. This is what baked beans are supposed to taste like. Not that processed gunk.
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