My Super Baked Beans

Seven hours of baking. That’s the commitment, and it’s worth every minute. These baked beans start with dried white beans soaked, simmered, and then slow-baked in a bean crock with molasses, ketchup, dry mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and onion. The result is a pot of beans with a thick, dark, sticky sauce that no canned version can touch.

The technique that separates these from average baked beans happens at the 4-hour mark. You pull out a cup of beans, mash them smooth, and stir that paste back into the pot. Those mashed beans dissolve into the cooking liquid and thicken the sauce naturally, giving it body and cling without adding flour or cornstarch. Then the remaining 3 hours of baking concentrates everything further.

The balance of sweet (molasses and brown sugar), tangy (apple cider vinegar and ketchup), and sharp (dry mustard) creates a complex sauce that gets deeper as it bakes. Using the bean cooking stock as the liquid means you’re building on flavor the beans already created.

Chef Tips

• Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. They’ll double in size and cook more evenly
• Check the liquid level every hour or so during baking. The beans should stay just barely covered. Add hot stock or water if they start to look dry
• The bean mashing step at hour 4 is the secret. Don’t skip it. That’s what turns thin liquid into thick, saucy beans
• These get even better the next day as the sauce thickens and the flavors meld overnight in the fridge

Variations

• Add diced salt pork or thick-cut bacon to the pot before baking for a smoky, meaty version
• Stir in a diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for smoky heat
• Use navy beans or great northern beans interchangeably with the white beans