Crock Pot Baked Beans

This Crock Pot Baked Beans recipe is a slight variation from the Boston Baked Bean Recipe in my archives.... the variation is the cooking method...

I know.. sounds kinda odd... "baked" beans in a Crock Pot.. but nothing is simpler or easier...

As with the original baked beans recipe...the entire cooking time is long… but there is very little needed on the part of the cook... in fact I liked this method so much.. I probably will stick with it instead of baking them in the future... it's perfect as a time saver.. great for a busy person that doesn't want or like canned beans.... and so much cheaper than the pre-made stuff too!

Trivia

Did you know baked beans are commonly served with breakfast in England, Scotland, Canada and Ireland? 

It was quite a surprise when we were traveling years ago on vacation... a wonderful hearty breakfast of eggs (usually fried), bangers (sausage) and baked beans... add some Irish Soda Bread and Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) and some black and white pudding.... and you have yourself one hearty wonderful Irish breakfast .. perfect for a St. Patrick's Day celebration.

TIPS


I used thick sliced smoked bacon… it gave the beans a wonderful flavor. I chopped it... the recipe didn't specify... some cooks lay whole slices on the beans.. I have always chopped it... so that's what I did.

I chopped the onion in my mini chopper… I wanted it to be very fine… a few pulses was all it needed.

I used dried beans and did the whole soaking the night before thing… dried beans are so inexpensive and healthy… well worth the little bit of effort in not using canned beans.

I soaked the beans overnight… you need about 8 hours... you could also simmer them in water for about two ours as an alternative... but soaking them is easy .. just plan ahead.

When I soaked the beans… the next morning the beans had absorbed almost all the water… seems this has become the norm... has happened every time since I posted in the original recipe that it happened for the first time…

I simply added more water and let them soak for about an hour before simmering them in the water.... with the crock pot method..

One nice change from the baking method... I didn't bring the "sauce" ingredients to a boil on the stove... nope.. quick and easy.. just mixed them in bowl...

I layer my ingredients... it's really not something you have to do.. but I feel it helps evenly distribute the onions and chopped bacon.

I did give them a periodic stir.. but that isn't really necessary if you aren't around to do it...

This dish is the perfect dish from a hearty breakfast to a cookout… it goes with virtually everything and is just so good… I’m sure everyone will love it.






Recipe:  Crock Pot Baked Beans

All you need:

2 cups dried navy beans
½ pound bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup brown sugar

All you need to do:



Soak the beans overnight in cold water.














Drain the beans and reserve the water.

I divided the beans into thirds… layered a third of the beans in the bottom of the crock pot… then layered a third of the bacon and onions on top of it and repeated the layers until it was all layered.

In a bowl, combine the molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, brown sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce … Stir well.  I used a whisk to get everything very smooth.

Pour the mixture over the beans.

Then pour the reserved water over the beans…just enough to cover them… don't drown them.

You will probably have some left over… keep it …you may need to add it later on if your beans dry out too much in the oven.  I didn't need to add any more water.. but to be safe.. keep it.. this way you have it if you need it. Discard after you are done cooking them.. no need for it at that point.

Cover with the lid.

Set the crock pot on low and cook for about 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.  Cooking times vary depending on your crock pot...

Adjust salt to taste.... I didn't have to add more... the salt from the smoked bacon added enough salt for our tastes.

Refrigerate any leftovers... and reheat when you want the leftovers... the beans are even better the next day.