Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to soft baked beans? ›

soak them about 20 hours. Depending on how much water they soak up you may add more halfway through - if you set them soaking in the early evening, check them in the morning. drain, rinse, and then boil for about two hours, checking to see if they are soft.

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan. To finish, toss in a pinch of espresso powder for an extra hit of earthy flavor.

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix.

Hot soaking is the preferred method since it reduces cooking time, helps dissolve some of the gas-causing substances in beans, and most consistently produces tender beans. Quick Soak: This is the fastest method. In a large pot, add 6 cups of water for each pound (2 cups) of dry beans.

Extra protein: Add diced ham, cooked ground beef, or shredded chicken to the baked beans for an extra boost of protein. Additional vegetables: Include diced green bell pepper, onions, or mushrooms to the recipe for added texture and flavor. Tangy: Replace yellow mustard with Dijon, whole-grain mustard, or dry mustard.

Always Add Aromatics to the Pot

It may sound too basic to be true, but aside from salt, there is no more drastic way to improve the flavor of your dried beans than to cook them with flavor-enhancing vegetables and fragrant, woodsy herbs.

(And soaking your beans in salt water before cooking not only adds flavor, it can also help them cook more quickly.) Don't stop at salt and black pepper. Spices like cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ground chiles and allspice add depth and complexity to your bean pot and are traditional additions in many cultures.

Overcooking can detract from the eating experience, leaving your beans bland and lifeless. Undercooking beans, on the other hand, can put yourself at risk of food-borne illness. This is especially true for red beans like kidney beans.

Drain and rinse the canned baked beans in a colander. Transfer the rinsed beans to a saucepan. Add any desired seasonings such as garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, or vinegar to taste. Heat the seasoned beans over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are heated through.

What can I add to baked beans to prevent gas? ›

The one tried and true method she taught me to reduce the gassy effect of beans, is this: add a tiny amount of baking soda to the pot half an hour or so before you're ready to serve them to “release” the gasses from them. Be set to stir down the violent reaction. This works no matter how you've seasoned them.

Even if they were before their expiry date, if your storage area/pantry gets very hot, it could have affected the beans. Lastly, do make sure that you did soak the beans sufficiently (some require 12 hours). And then, make sure that you did cook them long enough after proper soaking (some take 3 or 4 hours).

How can you make your beans more watery when cooking? After boiling the beans, you can add water to achieve your desired consistency. One way is to boil the beans until they are soft, then remove them from heat and cover with at least an inch of cold water.

Don't overdo the liquid: Be cautious with adding the reserved cooking liquid to avoid ending up with soupy baked beans. The sauce should be thick and cling to the beans. Stir occasionally: Stir the baked beans occasionally during cooking to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

The addition of baking soda to the cooking water does two things: It adds sodium ions that weaken the pectin as explained above, and more importantly, an alkaline environment causes the pectin molecules to break down into smaller molecules that greatly weakens the pectin causing the beans to soften much more rapidly.

The calcium and magnesium bond with the cell walls of the beans, causing them to harden. If your water is particularly hard, no matter how long you cook the beans, they might retain the tough, chewy texture. If you don't want to pay for a water softener, salt can be a good solution.

Place 1 lb.

Add cold water until it's about 2 inches above the top of the beans. It's important for beans to remain submerged in a few inches of water throughout the cooking process so they don't dry out. Cover pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then remove from heat. Let rest 1 hour.

Bring cold water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat. Add beans and salt, and return to a simmer; cover. Bake beans in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to ensure beans are still covered with water. If necessary, add just enough water to cover.