Okay, so I was feeling a bit nostalgic and wanted to make some baked beans like my grandma used to. I found this recipe for “Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans”, so I gave it a shot. I’m going to walk you through what I did.
First, I grabbed a big pot and poured in 6 cups of water. I turned the stove on high and waited for it to come to a boil. While it was heating up, I measured out 1 teaspoon of baking soda and stirred it into the water once it started boiling. Seemed a little weird, but I went with it.
Next, I added the beans to the pot, but the recipe didn’t say what type of beans! So I just used some pinto beans I had in the pantry. I dumped them into the boiling water, gave them a good stir, and brought everything back to a boil. Once it was boiling again, I reduced the heat to low, covered the pot, and let it simmer for about an hour.
Checking on the Beans
- After an hour, I checked on the beans. They were starting to get soft, so I drained them in a colander and gave them a good rinse with cold water. Then I put them in a big oven-safe dish.
Now for the sauce. The recipe called for some ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and a few other things. Honestly, I just kind of eyeballed the amounts. I mixed everything together in a bowl, and it smelled pretty good. I poured the sauce over the beans and stirred it all up until the beans were nicely coated.
Finally, I covered the dish with foil and popped it in the oven at 325 degrees. The recipe said to bake for 3-4 hours, but I ended up leaving them in for about 5 hours because I wanted them to be super tender. I checked on them every hour or so, giving them a little stir and adding a bit of water a couple of times to keep them from drying out.
When they were finally done, I took them out of the oven and let them cool for a bit. They smelled amazing! And let me tell you, they tasted just as good. They were sweet and savory, with a nice smoky flavor. Just like my grandma’s! It was a bit of work, but totally worth it. I’ll definitely be making these again.
