Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

My bride qand I (and 7,000 others!) were in Nashville these last four days, at the American Association of Christian Counsellors bi-anual convention. It was held at the world-famous Opryland Hotel.

Now, at a little place that sells barbecue on the island inside the hotel proper, I tasted the very best pork & beans I have ever tasted.


(I have tasted much better barbecue in Texas.)

Now, down here in Mexico, we have millions of types and colors of beans, and trillions of bean recipes. But no pork & beans, not in stores, or anywhere else. So ... I just KNOW there is somebody out there that has a great pork & beans recipe. How about it?

Oh, and what is the differnce between baked beans and pork & beans?

Thanks in advance!

chop up a bit of green bell peppers and add to beans... adds a nice flavor.

A long time ago ... in a land far, far away .... my Mother would fix "home-made" pork 'n beans. She used white beans (sometimes called navy beans) and would cook a slice of "side meat" in with them. "Side meat" is a cut of pork between the bacon and fat back ... some country folk call it "streaked meat" ... because it has strips of bacon mixed in with it. You can also use a piece of ham ... or even some cooked pork bbq (that is probably what they used in Nashville). She would add some tomato sauce or ketchup, salt and pepper ... and sometimes she would cut up some onions and green peppers and add to it. Each batch of pork 'n beans were different ... but they were always great!

Hope this helps.

Add dry mustard,molasses and brown sugar will make it a pretty good baked bean recipe too

Just my thought

Mike

Doc--you want to start from scratch, right? Mike's right about brown sugar, molasses, but I never used dried mustard. You can also use honey.

BUT...

I think you need a tomato based ingredient, like ketchup, if you're going to use plain lentil beans from scratch.

Baked beans are like pork and beans--but with pork and beans, you take a piece of pork fat and fry it before adding all the ingredients. You leave that hunk there so the fat cooks into the sauce, but you remove it before serving.

I am totally not health conscious, so if that fat was there, I wouldn't be able to resist.

Also, the term "Boston Baked Beans" is famous here, MAYBE because they baked it toward the end, don't know. But that term "baked" still stuck, even if people didn't bake it at all.

This is a fun recipe for you to experiment with, because it's so easy with minimal ingredients. And remember that it's a pretty small jump from baked beans to our American-style chilis. ("Chili" meaning the meal, not the pepper.)

Doc I've got a pretty good baked bean recipe but its realy long and I don't type towell I will have my daughter post it when she gets home from school if you would like

Mike
Lake Fork Texas

stjohn wrote:Doc I've got a pretty good baked bean recipe but its realy long and I don't type towell I will have my daughter post it when she gets home from school if you would like

Mike
Lake Fork Texas

Mike: Yes, I like. Thanks!


And to all the rest of you, thanks as well! I am getting some good ideas!

1 pound of dried navy beans, plus water to cover
6 additional cups of water
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped, preferably red and green
1 cup tomoto-based barbecue sauce, plus more to taste
1 cup apple cider
1/3 cup dark unsulphured molasses
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Soak the beans for at least 4 hours in water to cover, then drain. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the beans with the water. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook slowly, stirring up from the bottom occasionally for at least 2 to 3 hours, depending on the beans. Stir in the salt after the beans have softened. Add more water if the beans begin to seem dry. The beans are ready when they mash easily but still hold their shape. Drain the beans.
Preheat the oven to 325 F
In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon witha slotted spoon and drain it. Add the onion and bell pepper to the rendered bacon drippings and saute' until soft.
Transfer the bacon and the onion mixture to a greased Dutch oven or other baking dish. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Bake, covered, for about 1 hour. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 to 30 minutes. Serve hot. The beans reheat especially well.

stjohn..........try either baby limas or reg limas I like them better than any other bean in this dish.

Yuck! Lima beans, I never liked those. Just like Liver&Onions I've given them several tries but I never could learn to like them. Some people love them, I could never get over the texture.

I don't think I've ever had Pork and Beans with limas though.

The meat in the beans is certainly a major factor. Some of the best I've tasted had BBQ meat in the beans (pulled pork or the burnt ends), or even better - also included the fat drippings from the pork as it is being smoked.

As for the difference between pork-n-beans and baked beans... Pork and Beans are a staple food in Scotland and thereabouts (for breakfast!) - exactly the same flavor we know in the US. Baked beans are the same idea (beans cooked with meat, and sweetened with regional sugars - molasses, honey, cane, etc.). As you can imagine - moving from New England to the Mexican boarder - these ingredients, especially the spices, differ.

A great southern dish is baked beans mixed w/ ketchup and molasses (green pepper and onion optional), in a shallow pan and topped completely w/ bacon slices - bake until bacon crisp and the sauce is thick - simple and delicious!

Here is a baked bean recipe I found on the Internet and modified to suit our taste. We fix it as a "one pot meal." This recipe is for an 8-inch (2 qt) dutch oven, but you can double it for the 12-inch size.

1/2 pound bacon
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 (16-oz) cans of Pork 'N Beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Secret Ingredient: pancake syrup to taste

Optional variations and enhancements:
BBQ sauce
Hot sauce (Texas Pete, etc.)
Jalapeno peppers

Cut bacon into one-inch pieces and fry with onions and green peppers in preheated dutch oven. Add ground beef and brown. Drain off excess grease. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees in a COVERED dutch oven until thick (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). DO NOT STIR. Remove lid and continue cooking until moisture evaporates (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Warning: Those who eat second (and third) helpings should be segregated from the rest of the camping party ... preferrably down-wind.

Oooops.....yeah. Lima beans. And I said lentil.

And Doc--thanks. Because I'm going to try those recipes above TOO!!!

Should this thread be tied to the one about Vent Fans

There is, of course, a better way.

Get a pound of kidney beans and a pound of pinto beans. Rinse and pick over and soak overnight in water to cover.
Now, the next morning, drain and rinse the beans.
Chop one small red and one small yellow onion and one shallot very fine.
saute in good vegetable oil until clear. Toss in a half teaspoonful of minced roast garlic from a jar and a half teaspoonful of dried cilantro.
Pour in two cans of crushed tomatoes, a small can of applesauce, and the following seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pound smoked pork hocks, rinsed
the beans
two quarts water
bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until sauce reduces to the thickness of ketchup, beans are fork-tender and meat falls off bones.
Or crockpot the whole outfit on low for about six hours.