I love cooking with a Dutch oven. There’s something about meals like Dutch oven baked beans that makes them feel so substantial. Maybe it’s just the heaviness of the cast iron that feels so solid, or the notion of cooking like the pioneers once did.
It might even be the types of meals I tend to cook in my Dutch oven: long-simmering soups, stews, or other hearty main dishes that home cooks have been serving to their families for centuries.
Here is one such recipe. Baked beans have been an American classic since the time of the early New England settlers. They haven’t lost much popularity since then, spreading West with the pioneers and finally finding their current place as an indispensable component of cookouts and tailgate parties.
Slow baked beans
I wonder what those early New England settlers would think of baked beans being classified as picnic food? They couldn’t just open a can of cooked and seasoned beans at a moment’s notice.
No, their baked beans required some forethought, because they took a night and a day to reach completion: a night to soak, and a day to cook.
You may have gathered that I like old-fashioned ways, so it should come as no surprise that I prefer my baked beans homemade instead of from the grocery store.
But since I don’t pretend to have as much forethought and practicality as New England pioneer cooks, I’ve adapted their recipe for a shorter cooking time.
How short? Well, don’t ask me for a 30-minute meal or anything. Baked beans need a long time to cook, so they can absorb the flavors of the sauce and meat. If you won’t be soaking the dried beans overnight, plan for 1 hour of quick soaking, 45 minutes of cooking, then another 5-6 hours to cook the beans in the oven.
You can shorten this even further by using plain canned beans or by cooking your beans ahead and storing them in the refrigerator or freezer. Cooked beans freeze exceptionally well.
I have cooked the beans for as little as 3 1/2 hours in the oven. They’re still okay at that point if you’re short on time, but they definitely get better with longer cooking. In fact, these beans taste best reheated on the second or third day. Some things just get better with time.
Which cooking method is best?
It took me years to find a recipe for baked beans that I liked. I grew up on baked beans out of a can, and I’m still not sure how they get that particular flavor. (I think there must be a lot of sugar in those cans!)
After trying several slow cooker recipes and different types of beans, I was almost ready to give up. The results varied: too soupy, too sweet, too bland. It was always disappointing. Then I stumbled upon a Dutch oven baked beans recipe that was more like what I had in mind.
I burnt the beans the first several times I made the recipe, but the results were still good enough that I was willing to keep trying, slowly adjusting ingredients to find what worked best.
My theory is that the cooking method really makes a difference. When you use a slow cooker, it traps all the liquid and doesn’t let any evaporate. Cooking beans in the oven–in a Dutch oven or bean pot–is more like cooking over a fire. It imparts a depth of flavor that slow cookers just can’t give.
Think of it like toasting marshmallows. If the only goal is to make them gooey, the microwave works just fine. But if you’re looking for that perfectly-toasted marshmallow flavor, you can’t beat hot coals and a long stick.
Adjust to taste
I hope you won’t have to try as many recipes or make as many adjustments as I did, but you still may need to tweak a few things.
For this reason–and because you shouldn’t leave an oven unattended for long periods–plan to make this recipe on a day when you will be around to check on the beans from time to time.
Ovens can be temperamental
This applies to both temperature fluctuations and dryness. Mine seems to suck all the moisture out of these beans after a few hours, so I have to keep putting more water in. Your oven may not do that, which is why I don’t recommend adding all the water at the beginning.
Just stir the beans every hour or so to check on the amount of liquid and prevent burning. Add no more than a cup of water at a time. You want the sauce to be thick.
Beans may behave differently
Results can vary slightly depending on whether you soak them overnight or use the quick-soak method, or if you choose to start with canned beans. (Or if your beans are prepared and packaged for emergency/long-term storage, as I learned the hard way!)
Different bean varieties can also lend their own particular flavors, colors, and characteristics to the meal. This is a good thing! I encourage you to experiment and find what you like best.
For example, I don’t like to use pinto beans for baked beans, but I have tried recipes that called for them. So far, the successful bean varieties in my book are Great Northern, navy, small white or red beans, and dark or light kidney beans. I usually use some combination of these.
Method
Prepare your beans
You have several options: soak dried beans in cold water overnight, use the quick-soak method for dried beans in the morning, or start with pre-cooked or canned beans (plain, not canned baked beans).
To soak beans overnight: place dried beans in a pot or bowl. Fill the pot with cold water to cover beans by at least an inch. If using a small (2-quart) pot, you may want to add more water.
To use the quick-soak method: place dried beans in a pot and cover with at least an inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for an hour.
If you’re starting with cooked or canned beans, skip the next step.
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans. Place them in a pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring the beans to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 40-45 minutes until the beans are soft.
Cooking times may vary slightly depending on what kind of beans you use and how old they are. Beans also take a little longer to cook at higher altitudes.
*If you are using beans that have been prepared and packaged for emergency rations or long-term storage, your cooking times will be much longer. I allow at least 2-3 hours.
Prepare to bake your beans
If you’re using canned beans, start here.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Adjust oven racks so your Dutch oven will fit comfortably.
Place cooked beans in a large bean pot or Dutch oven.
Chop the bacon or salt pork into 3/4-inch pieces and add them to the pot. When I’m using salt pork, I slice it first–about twice as thick as bacon–and then chop. You can just chop the entire piece of meat into cubes if you prefer.
Frozen bacon? No problem. Chop the entire block crosswise, and the layers will separate as they cook. No danger of undercooking here!
Add the rest of the ingredients, along with 2 cups of boiling water. Stir well. Cover and place in the oven for 5-6 hours.
Baking the Beans
You will want to check on your beans periodically during the cooking time. How often? You should stir the beans after about two hours, and every hour thereafter.
Add more water if they are getting dry. You don’t want them to burn, but you do want to end up with a nice thick sauce, so don’t add more than a cup of water at a time.
If the beans are absorbing a lot of liquid and seem to be getting too dry between checks, you can stir them more frequently or turn your oven down to 300 degrees F.
If the beans and/or sauce around the edges gets dark, don’t worry. Just add some water and stir thoroughly, scraping the sides. You actually want the color to darken, as this improves the flavor.
If it’s actually burnt black, don’t mix that part in. Chances are that the middle will be fine, even if the edges are burnt.
You can let the beans cook all day if you want to. Anywhere between 3 1/2 and 8 hours is fine. In general, I try to cook mine for about 5 hours, but the longer the better!
Serve these Dutch oven baked beans with hot cornbread or toasted English muffins for a real country-style treat!
Dutch Oven Baked Beans
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried beans
- 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1/3 cup coarsely-ground mustard
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 12 ounces thick-sliced bacon or salt pork cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 2 onions chopped
Instructions
- Place dried beans in a Dutch oven and cover with cold water. Soak overnight or use the quick-soak method.
- For quick-soak method: Bring beans and water to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for one hour, covered.
- After soaking, add more water to cover beans. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes until beans are soft. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Drain beans. Add the rest of the ingredients to the Dutch oven along with 2 cups boiling water. Stir well and cover.
- Bake for 5-6 hours, stirring every hour. Add more water as necessary to prevent burning. The beans are done when the color has darkened and the sauce is thick.
annie says
This simple meal looks like the perfect winter supper and so delicious! I know many will shake their heads in wonder and shock, but I’m not a fan of my slow cooker or my Instant Pot. Sure, there are times when either one of them is the better choice with regard to time available or traveling with food, but I prefer to cook and bake in cast iron or Guardian Ware I inherited from my grandma. I can adjust the seasonings, cook times or alter the entire recipe much more easily when I’m doing the cooking. I know, I know, you’re thinking I sound terribly “old school” or country bumpkin-ish, but I have used my slow cooker and Instant Pot frequently and always go back to my own cookware. Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipe, my husband thanks you, too!
kimberly says
Annie, I agree that it’s much easier to adjust recipes when you use more traditional cooking methods instead of newfangled devices! I think flavor and texture can also suffer when you cook a dish in a sealed environment like a slow cooker. I appreciate mine for its convenience, like you, but in general, I prefer hands-on cooking!
Kathryn Mader says
Oh how nice to hear someone say what I’ve thought for a long time. I figure anything that can be done in a crock pot is done better in a cast iron Dutch oven (mine is a medium oval le creuset, perfect for a small chicken or roast). It seems more authentic, and I love checking on it and making adjustments. Plus, although I was tempted to get the instant pot everyone raves about, I didn’t want anymore big “stuff” taking up room in my kitchen. I’m so glad I didn’t succumb. I will be making these beans but will be adding some ketchup, I think. My mother always made the beans for the neighborhood picnics and she used the recipe everyone knew back in the 60’s from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (how I cherish that book). Somehow, my mom had these beans down, even if she used canned beans 🙂
kimberly says
That sounds delicious! My mother-in-law makes wonderful baked beans too, and she uses canned. I can never quite replicate her results though.