Baked Beans A Family Recipe From Chef Patrick O Connell

Steps:

• Place beans in a 2 quart saucepan & cover with cool water.
• Soak overnight.
• Drain the beans.
• Cover with fresh salted water, and cook over medium heat until beans are just barely tender.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Stir sugar and bacon into beans with water and place in an oven-proof earthenware crock or bean pot.
• Top with butter and bake, uncovered, in oven for 3 hours.
• If top layer of beans begins to become too dry or begins to burn, cover pot with aluminum foil.
• Serves 4.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put a heavy-bottomed pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat renders and bacon begins to crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the ketchup, tomato puree, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and cayenne and mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the beans until well coated, cover, and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue baking until sauce thickens and the beans begin to brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Soak navy beans overnight in a large bowl with enough water by several inches. Drain and place beans into a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with 6 cups water, baking soda, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, saving bean-cooking liquid.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Transfer beans into clean Dutch oven and stir bacon, onion, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper into beans. Pour enough of the hot reserved bean liquid in to cover beans; stir.
• Cover Dutch oven and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Check liquid level and add more of the reserved bean liquid to bring liquid up to cover beans. Return to oven and continue baking until beans are tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour.
• Raise oven heat to 350; bake beans uncovered in oven until top develops a flavorful crust, 20 to 30 more minutes.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients and place in greased 3 quart baking dish.
• Bake uncovered@ 300 degrees for 2 hours.