Baked Beans

I made some black beans a while back and only cooked them an hour, so they would be a bit firm.  That's how many black beans for salads are cooked.  Papa Smurf didn't like that.  He wanted soft, mushy beans.  I can do that.

This recipe is for your basic barbecue-style baked beans.  The best beans ever were from a restaurant called Love's that went out of business years ago.  I was surprised that these came pretty close.  It's all about the rich, thick sauce against the creamy softness of the beans.

Just because this recipe is easy, doesn't mean it's fast.  Plan 16-20 hours ahead.  I'm serious.

1 C dry Navy or Great Northern beans
1/4 C minced onion
1/4 C tomato paste
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 whole cloves

1.  Sort beans to remove any stones or shriveled beans and rinse.  In a large casserole, cover dried beans with two inches of water.  Let sit 8 hours or overnight.

2.  Drain off water.  Stir in remaining ingredients and turn on oven to 225º.  When oven is ready, pour 1 C boiling water into casserole.  Stir to combine.  Cover and place in oven.

3.  Bake beans 8-10 hours.  Check every 3 hours or so and stir in more water if beans start to look dry.  Sauce should be very thick, but there will be some water at the bottom of the pot that you can stir into the rest of the casserole.  Allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating  :)