Caramelized Baked Beans from A Summertime Grilling Guide from The Splendid Table
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To celebrate the release of A Summertime Grilling Guide from The Splendid Table, I am attempting to grill my way through the book’s many surprising recipes. To catch up on previous dishes and read extended journal entries, you can follow my blog here.
A few weeks ago, I described my 15 minute rule for cooking. This recipe in no way meets the 15 minute rule but was worth the effort despite a few self-inflicted problems along the way.
The taste and smell of the beans are intoxicating. As Lynne states, “they are unlike any baked beans they know. Sticky, sweet-tart and smoky.” This is more than a bean dish, it is a hotdish - a meal unto itself.
I will say, something went wrong in step one and I never quite recovered. I boiled water and poured over the beans and soaked them for the recommended two hours. I drained them and put them in a 6 Qt pot and covered with water, being sure to add the garlic, all spice and onions. I don’t think I had the heat high enough when simmering because the beans never seemed to get tender as the book states.
I soldiered on though and completing all the remaining steps and placing the beans in the oven. After 2 hours, I tasted them and the beans were still hard, not even firm, thus I left them in the oven. After 6 hours, I gave up and decided to serve them as is. The reaction from the group was mixed about the beans… some liked the beans a bit on the firmer side and some thought they should be more tender… I can’t do anything about that. The one thing everyone in the group did agree on was that the flavor of the beans were among the best anyone had ever tasted. I do say that the bacon has a lot to do with that … nothing has the flavor of good bacon and when combined with cooking in the same pot and leaving some of the bacon fat, the result is AMAZING. This is a dish you are sure to enjoy!
The caramelized baked beans are a dish I will prepare again. The flavors were wonderful, even with a bean that still seemed a tad hard. Since it doesn’t meet my own 15 minute rule, I would prepare this dish a few days ahead and then refrigerate until the day of the gathering and possibly heat them on the grill while your main dish cooks.
Follow along with my continued adventures as I grill my way through the new A Summertime Grilling Guide from The Splendid Table and share your grilling experiences with us on our Facebook fanpage.
David Edin
dedin@mpr.org
Merchandise Manager
