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Baked Beans

Recipe: The Admiral’s Beans

The Admiral’s Beans

From Megan Chambers, Board MemberThere was an antique store in Maine that would make these beans as part of an open house buffet to celebrate the re-opening of the store each spring. It was named for a family friend who was an admiral in the US Navy.

Notes:

    1. Canned beans may also be used. Drain and rinse before adding in step 6.
    2. For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon, and add a pinch of smoked paprika or smoked salt, and 1 cup or more sliced shiitake mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried white kidney or navy beans, picked over and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1-2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
  • 1 pound bacon, diced
  • 1 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 large clove of garlic

Directions

  1. Soak beans overnight in water to cover by several inches. Drain and rinse.
  2. Preheat oven to 225F.
  3. Place beans in large saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, adding water as necessary, for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the baking soda.
  4. Drain beans and rinse with hot water.
  5. Place onion, garlic and half the bacon in a large Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot.
  6. Mix together the sugars, spices, molasses and syrup. Add alternatively with the beans to the pot. Add remaining bacon on top.
  7. Add hot water to the beans, just to cover.
  8. Bake for about 3 hours, adding water as necessary. Uncover, allowing bacon to brown.
  9. The beans will be done after 4-5 hours. They should be very tender, but still mostly whole. The beans should rest for at least an hour, ideally in the turned off oven, to allow any remaining liquid to reabsorb.

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