Bean-Hole Baked Beans
- Total Time
- About 10 hours, mostly unattended
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds dried beans of your choice (soldier, pea, Jacob’s Cattle, great northern, yellow eye, etc.)
- 3onions, thinly sliced
- ¾cup molasses
- ½cup maple syrup
- 2tablespoons dry mustard
- 2tablespoons kosher salt
- 1tablespoon black pepper
- 1pound salt pork, sliced into pieces about 2 inches by ½ inch
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
458 calories; 31 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 1028 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Soak beans overnight in water to cover or quick-soak: Put beans in a large pot, add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
- Step 2
If you don’t already have a bean hole, dig a hole about half again as large as whatever pot you plan to cook the beans in. (The key is that there be 6 inches between the top of the hole and the top of the pot.) Build a fire in the hole using about 10 pieces of cord wood. When the fire is burning well, add 10 softball-size rocks, then continue to burn until the wood is reduced to embers. You should have a bed of embers 2 to 3 inches deep.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans and put them into a 6-quart Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot along with all remaining ingredients except the salt pork. Stir well to combine. Lay the salt pork slices on top of the beans, then add water to cover by about an inch. Bring just to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Step 4
Carefully remove the rocks from the bean hole. Put the pot into the hole on top of the embers, cover it with a triple layer of heavy-duty foil, then put the rocks back into the hole around and on top of the pot. Fill in the hole with dirt, covering the pot. Come back 8 hours later, remove the pot from the hole and serve the beans.
- OVEN METHOD: Follow Steps 1 and 3 above, then transfer the pot to a 350-degree oven and bake until the beans are tender, 2½ to 3 hours. Check beans every half-hour or so after the first hour, adding water as needed if all the water has been absorbed.
Private Notes
Comments
Safety note if you're going to use the fire pit method be aware that river rocks may contain trapped water which can explode, violently. Google rocks that are safe for a fire pit if you're going the pit route.
This is insane!
Incredibly good, but did not take 3 hours, and the beans were a little watery. Suggest leaving the pot open the last half hour if too much liquid.
I see it says to use a "dutch oven" if you're gonna bury it, but any notes on the material? Cast iron? is heavy stoneware okay?
I used dried Rancho Gordo beans. Soaked them at night, and added them to the slow cooker on high for several hours. Delicious!
Instead of a bean hole, I made this recipe alongside a brisket in a Traeger smoker. I let it cook uncovered inside the smoker and the smoky flavor was tremendously delicious. It's definitely a long process (took about 4 hrs at around 225F), but this recipe is such a solid backbone for a great pot of beans.