Baked Beans With Bacon Recipe
Make Baked Beans With Bacon Recipe in just 3h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Beans
Bacon & Aromatics
Sauce
Finish
Method
Beans
- 1
Soak the beans (overnight or quick)
Rinse the dry beans and remove any stones or debris. For an overnight soak: place beans in a large bowl, cover with 6 cups of cold water, and soak 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking. For a quick soak: place beans in a pot, cover with 6 cups water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit 1 hour, then drain and rinse.
- 2
Cook the beans until tender
Place soaked, drained beans in a medium pot and add 2 cups fresh water (in addition to residual if any) and 1 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially covered, and cook until just tender but not falling apart, about 40–60 minutes depending on age of beans. Check periodically and add more water if needed to keep beans submerged. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid; set beans and reserved liquid aside.
Bacon & Aromatics
- 3
- 4
Render the bacon
In a heavy ovenproof Dutch oven or deep baking dish on medium heat, add the diced bacon and cook until the fat renders and the pieces are browned but not crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove about half of the bacon pieces to a paper towel (leave the remaining bacon and fat in the pot for flavor).
- 5
Sauce
- 6
Combine sauce ingredients
Reduce heat to low. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to remove raw tomato flavor. Add the brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar. Taste and adjust balance — add a little more vinegar if too sweet, or more brown sugar for sweetness.
- 7
Assemble beans and sauce
Return the drained cooked beans to the pot with the bacon and sauce. Add the reserved 1 cup of bean cooking liquid and 1 cup of stock. Stir gently to coat the beans without breaking them. If mixture looks dry, add additional water or stock 1/4 cup at a time until beans are just submerged in sauce.
Finish
- 8
- 9
Finish and serve
Remove from oven, stir in 1 tablespoon butter if using for a glossy finish, and fold in the reserved crispy bacon pieces. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Let rest 10 minutes before serving to thicken further.