Any BAKED BEANS from scratch in Smokette?

Bodacious,

When you say "from scratch", do you mean dried beans? If so, you won't get them tender enough from start to finish, in a smoker. At least I can't, even after soaking them overnight. What I do is soak them overnight, (any bean will do here) cover them with fresh water (unsalted) and bring them to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes, remove from heat and let them steep for 30 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid, and combine them with your favorite ingredients. Place all in a roasting pan and set on the lowest rack of your smoker.
Set your meat over the bean pan and smoke away. If the beans require more moisture through the smoking process, add back some bean broth.

Yeah, I was thinking of letting them sit in a pot of water overnight, with maybe just a short boil. I hate mushy beans.

But I noticed that the recipes I found on the site were using canned baked beans as a base.

Also, how long did they smoke to get the right amount of smoke?

But I will take recipes too

Aw, come on, can't you take an existing recipe and modify it? Gonna have to call you out on that one

I've got a couple of recipe I can get to later.

The biggest issue is which dry beans. Man last time I discussed the subject, we went into a Pinto vs. Navy vs. Small Navy vs this vs this kind bean and which one to use.

I grew up in the hills of southern Appalachia and I cook every kind of dried beans there is.

You can make the Smokette into a crockpot,if you really want to.

My recommendation would still be to get your beans up to finishing stage,smoke three hours under some pork or beef in a wide flat pan and don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Many cooks figure that if you spend more time getting the Q right and less time on all the incidentals,you are usually far ahead of the curve.

I use Bush's and have never had a mushy bean IMO.

Like Smokin'says,if I am doin' pinto beans I start from scratch-because I may see them in competition some day.

This is not to say that I have not invented many projects,because I like to.

quote:

This is not to say that I have not invented many projects,because I like to. [/QB]

Well, that is me, always reinventing the wheel! I love to make totally new recipes but somehow I just haven't found the motivation to make "scratch" baked beans, but at the same time I can't see me opening a big can of Bush's just to smoke them.

In the end I probably will make my own recipe. But since my smokette is less than 1 month old and already used about 10 times, I haven't even tried anything beyond meats, so far.

Ok. here is a baked bean recipe from scratch.
Use a fork or your finger nails to scratch the labels on 2 # 10 cans(7lbs.+ each) of Bush's original baked beans. ( as Tom says, why reinvent the wheel?) Drain but do not rinse the beans. Reserve the juice so you can adjust the moisture content of the baked beans to suite you during the smoke.
. Saute one large onion and two TBS of
minced garlic in two TBS of butter or
Canola oil over medium heat until the
onion is translucent...the garlic in the
jar from Sam's etc. works fine
.Add the following:
.2 to 2 1/4 cups of ketchup depending on the thickness of the brand you choose.
.2 TBS dry mustard..I use Colemans.
.2 TBS Dijon Mustard
.1 TBS Tobasco +/- to taste.
.2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
.1 Cup Blackstrap Molasses, unsulphered
.1/2 tsp of hickory smoked salt
.1 TBS instant cofee crystals or
1/2 Cup STRONG cofee...day old is fine.
.1/2 -1 Cup of Bourbon, to taste (& mood)
.mix all ingredients well, stir & simmer over medium heat for five minutes.Transfer to a full size Hotel pan (a #4 disposable from Sam's works fine )stir in the beans, and slam it into the smoker, w/2 oz of hickory @ 180 degrees. Start checking the consistency after two hours, stir, and adjust with the reserved juice if necessary. The beans are pretty much cooked from the can so all you're looking for is smoke & consistency to suite your taste.
Bill

quote:

Originally posted by Bodacious BBQ:
[qb] I noticed that the recipes I found on the site were using canned baked beans as a base.

Also, how long did they smoke to get the right amount of smoke?

But I will take recipes too [/qb]

1. Try the soak/cook method I described. After 30 minutes of simmering, bite into one or two. If they're "almost tender" pull them aside and steep. You want to stop the cooking process while they're still
al dente If, after smoking, you find them mushy, simmer them less.

2. The "right amount of smoke" is pretty subjective. Depends on what wood you're using and how long you keep the beans in the smoker. When I smoke beaked beans with pulled pork, I pull them after 5-6 hrs, when the meat is in the "plateau" stage.

3. Recipes? A search of the forum recipes or Google will get you all you can shake a stick at. The great thing about beans is that they're like a blank canvas...your "paints" are in your kitchen pantry. If you like your beans on the traditional side, use some tomato product -- fresh, canned, ketshup, paste, whatever you have on hand. Next comes a sweetener - sugar (brown? white? turbanado?) or maple syrup, or honey, or molasses. Or, try a southwestern approach -- cumin, garlic, chilis. Those work great with Pintos.

Have fun with your creative juices - that's what this is all about. Keep notes and recipes...adjust them as needed. Keep at it and sooner or later you'll hit a home run. The great thing is someone will always be around to eat your foul balls

T/C

Good response. You must be a chef or something

What kind of beans do you use? Here's a silly question, what kind of beans do they use for the commercial stuff like Van Kamps or Bushes?

And I agree with the pre-cook. I've tried the cook only in the smoker method and they dried out before they ever got cooked.

Hope all is well with you, have a great new year.

Smokin'

Forget scratch. This one by Tom is the best on the planet.
It's true! Check out the sesame oil.

KC Baked Beans

28 ounce(s) Baked beans
3/4 cup BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup Brown sugar, dark
1 medium Tart apple, chopped, peeled
2 tablespoon(s) Raisins, golden
1 cup Onion(s), chopped
3 slice(s) Bacon, crisp, chopped
4 ounce(s) BBQ trimmings
1 teaspoon Sesame oil

PREPARATION:
Use your choice of baked beans. I use the Bush's with Onions and then skip the onions in the recipe. Also, use your favorite BBQ sauce. For the BBQ trimmings, you can use any leftover pork or beef. You can also substitute 2 TBS of bacon drippings in place of the 3 strips of bacon.
Dice the apples, raisins and onion into sizes the same as the beans.
Mix all together and cook for 1 hour at 350�.
I cook these in the pit for about 3 hours at 225�

Thanks for the kind words.

This was actually kinda stolen from Rich Davis of KC Masterpiece Restaurant fame.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
[qb]T/What kind of beans do you use? Here's a silly question, what kind of beans do they use for the commercial stuff like Van Kamps or Bushes? Smokin'[/qb]

The recipe that gets the nost raves involves Pintos, Navy and Red Kidney beans - all of which I simmer seperately as they require different cooking times to get 'em al dente. I simmer them all with minced garlic, bay leaf and Cumin Seed, no salt as that will toughen them. Next I add Heinz Chili Sauce, just a little maple syrup, chopped fresh Jalepeno (smoke 'em if ya want to) more garlic and ground Cumin. Next comes burnt brisket of pork ends and some bean broth...and finally salt & pepper to taste. Add back enough bean broth (any one will do) to make them a bit soupy - the liquid disipates during the smoke.

The commercial canners use Navy Whites - I believe.

HNY back atcha!

I2BBQ that recipe sounds different. I'll give it a try.

Yep,VanCamps and Bush like Navy.

They hold together a little better.

Not to be too crotchety, but there's a few reasons to use dried beans instead of canned beans:

1. As mentioned above, to use different beans. Since a lot of 'em cook in the same amount of time, you could just mix a few kidney, navy, etc. before soaking and not use several partial cans.

2. Along the same line, to experiment with bizarre beans only available dry.

3. If there's something in commercial baked beans you'd rather leave out. For instance, I avoid onions & garlic and there's a very few brands (and getting less) of baked or refried beans without them.

4. Cost. Sure, it's a little silly to worry about a few pennies going into a $400+ smoker, but if you're making a lot of these, 50 cents buys a lot of dried beans and sauce ingredients, or not even one can.

All that aside, it always seems a bit tricky to me to get just the right amount of liquid while smoking so they aren't drowned or dried out without constantly opening the door to check.

If you love baked beans you'll go nuts over this clone recipe from the world's first theme restaurant chain. It's real easy to make too, since you just pour all of the ingredients into a covered casserole dish, stir, and bake for an hour and a half. The only element that may give you pause is the pulled pork from last week's recipe. It's an effortless addition if you've got some of that pork on hand. If not, just leave that ingredient out. Or you could add some cooked bacon to the mix. Either way the beans will still come out awesome as a nosh-worthy side dish or snack.

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (with liquid)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded pork (from last week's recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour entire contents of the can of pinto beans into a casserole dish (with a lid).
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with the 2 tablespoons of water. Add this solution to the beans and stir.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.
5. Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every 30 minutes. After removing the beans from the oven, let the beans cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

From: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

I cook from scratch a ton, but using canned beans like Bush's as a starter base is not only a real time saver, but the results are often indistinguishable from home-made. I don't mean just straight canned beans, but doctored up with some of your rub, some molasses, sugars, chilis, onions, herbs & spices of choice etc.

When I'm throwing out a spread of Q, my meat is my main focus (and time consumer). Especially when my canned but doctored baked beans are delicious.

Well it has been interesting to read the replies to this topic. IMHO the concept on beans from scratch is start with good dry beans and go through the whole process, not use canned beans and doctor away.
In my part of the country, baked beans have been a staple for generations, have them every Saturday night, and still do them the old fashioned New Engalnd way.

2 pounds dry beans. Use what you can find. Here in Vermont the long standard are Soldier Beans, but may use Navy beans or any good dry bean.
1/2 pound salt pork or I prefer to use a smoked pork hock.
1/4-1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2-1/3 cup molasses
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash of salt

pick over the beans and soak them overnight in cold water. In morning, parboil the beans until the skins crack when blown upon. drain the beans and then add them back to the pot. Cut throught the rind of the salt pork and place on top of the beans. Mix the sugar,molasses,mustard,pepper and salt with one pint of boiling water and mix well. Pour this over the beans and pork. If necessary, add more water to cover. Bake at 300 F. for 6 hours or more, adding more boiling water as the beans cook.

I usually use some maple syrup along with the molasses as this is the way it has been done in my family for generations.

One only has to try this method once to realize theat the beans should not be an after thought to good Q. Most people spend hours perfecting there meat methods, one should also do the same with beans.

Again, just my .02 worth.

peartree

Peartree, good stuff. Old New England lore. By the way, is there a disntinction between "baked beans" and "Boston baked beans?"

I should look it up, but maybe you know.

I thought that Cranberry bean was "the" bean of choice in Vermont. I used to have a good gardening buddy over at North Ferrisburg - Dick Raymond of Garden Way (Troybilt)fame.

Anyway, I'm going to try your recipe.

Happy Trails