Char Siu Baked Beans

I was trying to use some of the stray condiments in the fridge, so there would be less to move at Passover.  I made an excellent marinade for salmon with teriyaki sauce, black bean garlic sauce, garlic, dried onions, and ginger that I would have blogged if I'd known it would turn out so well.

Next up was something fun to put in baked beans.  I went back and forth between hoisin and char siu sauce.  Then I decided to put some bacon in with the beans, and the char siu made more sense.  I cooked up a pound of bacon one day, some to freeze for other uses.  I got two cups of chopped bacon and one cup of rendered bacon grease.  This is why I only cook bacon when I need the grease.

This recipe is extremely basic.  It only takes a long time because of the beans.  You could theoretically sauté up the onions with the chopped bacon and stir it into canned white beans at the same time as the sauce.  Nuke the whole thing, and dinner's served in under half an hour.  I just like the aroma of dinner simmering or baking all day.

1 C dry navy or great northern beans
1/2 onion, diced
*1/2 lb bacon
*1/4 C char siu sauce
pepper to taste

1.  12 hours before serving, sort and rinse the beans.  Soak in water to cover by 2 inches for 8 hours.  Drain.

2.  Preheat oven to 225º.  Start boiling 2C water.

3.  Into a casserole, stir together beans, diced onion, and char siu sauce.  Pour boiling water into the casserole and stir to distribute the sticky sauce.

4.  Cover casserole and roast for 3 hours.

5.  When you're near the 3 hour mark, cook the bacon in a skillet until cooked but not overly crispy.  Drain on paper towels, then chop into bite-sized pieces.  Stir into casserole and bake an additional hour.  If there's too much water, remove the lid so it can thicken.  Too dry, add half a cup more.

6.  Beans are done when they break apart easily.  They might even split as you stir.  Taste and add pepper as needed.  You probably won't need salt because there's a lot in the char siu sauce.  Serve hot with bread and/or salad.

Difficulty rating  π