"Terrence Crimmins" > wrote in message
...
That is an excellent tip, the recipe to caramelize the onions in the
crockpot would save a lot of trouble (and heat!)

My father, years ago, was in Boston and found out the formerly world famous
baked bean recipe of Durgin Park. He must have missed the part when they
told him you had to boil the navy beans for three minutes then let them sit
over night, as he would put the beans in the oven for days at a time and
they would not tenderize. After he finished tearing his hair out, he went
and bought good old B&M baked beans and abridged the recipe using them.

Beans, on top and bottom, bacon, green peppers, onions and celery in the
middle, with dried mustard and ketchup, and lots of ketchup on top. To me,
it's a baked item, preferably in a stonewear.

---

He might have done something else wrong too. I can remember as a young
adult, boiling beans next to forever. I actually had one batch that never
did get soft. The reason? Most likely because I seasoned them first. Salt
can make them tough. Also, we had no pull dates on beans in those days and
I suspect more often than not, we were buying very old ones.

These days I find that even when the package says to cook for an hour, if
they are super fresh, they only take perhaps 40 minutes. I use the quick
soak method. Bring to a boil, boil for a minute or perhaps three, depending
on the type of beans. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain,
add fresh water then cook. I always cook my beans first before making the
baked beans.

I happen to like making mine from scratch but it would seem that most people
don't do this. Even when I was a kid, people started with canned pork and
beans or even already made up canned baked beans and merely doctored them up
some more. Although they tasted good, my method makes them less carby.
Yeah, they still have a lot of carbs but much less than most. And that will
be my meal. That and some coleslaw which will be made with Splenda.