My Baked Beans

I make baked beans once a year,

 traditionally for Maple Festival at Lily's

This year Carding Brook Farm (My maple syrup source) didn't tap trees

but started greens and goodness in their new hoop house

So, being a fan of change we are doing a 

Hoop House Brunch tomorrow at Lily's

and of course I made baked beans

Except this year I didn't have any homemade bacon ends left

from my yearly pig from Old Ackley

What I did have were unsmoked ham hocks

and I am here to tell you - they are delicious!!

To make up for the extra salt I usually get from using cured bacon

I seasoned the ham hocks liberally with kosher salt

while the beans endured their first simmer in salted water

Then I piled them into Big Bertha (my very large Creuset pot)

along with the beans and all the fixins and after 4 hours I had these 

beautiful baked beans with tender meat falling from the hock bones

Yum!  I can't wait for tomorrow :0)

MY BAKED BEANS

I halved my recipe, double it if you are feeding an army 

or want to freeze portions for later

2 pounds of yellow eye beans 

(locally grown in Maine by the way)

2 tsp sea salt

2 cups of diced yellow onion

4 tsp dried mustard

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

1 large ham hock

kosher salt

(Of course you can use 1/2 pound of bacon or pancetta or salt pork, etc. instead!)

Season ham hock liberally with kosher salt and set aside to rest

Put the beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches

Bring to boil, add 2 tsp sea salt, cover, reduce heat a bit 

and simmer beans until just tender, about 1 1/2 hours

Don't over cook them

Drain

Meanwhile in your bean pot put seasoned hock, diced onions, mustard, ginger,

molasses, maple syrup, vinegar and last tsp of sea salt

Stir to combine

Add drained beans, cover with fresh cold water to cover by 1/2 an inch

Cover pot and put in a 325 degree oven to bake for about 3 1/2 hours,

checking every so often that you haven't lost all your liquid

(If the beans get a bit dry - just add a bit of boiling water)

After 3 1/2 hours the beans should be plumb, soft but not mushy and 

amber in color and your liquid should taste delicious

Remove the cover and continue to bake for another 45 minutes

until the liquid is thickened to a sauce and the top is nice and brown and crusty

I think baked beans taste better the second day, so I always make them

in advance and reheat them to serve

Enjoy!

And maybe we will see you tomorrow at Lily's

 anytime between 11am - 2pm

Thank you,

Kyra