"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Doris Night wrote:
>>
>> Julie wrote:
>> >Cold baked beans are yummy!
>>
>> No they aren't.
>
> I like them cold. First day making them they are hot and good but
> all the leftovers I tend to eat cold. Especially good cold along
> with an equal portion of macaroni salad. yum. Use the beans as a
> side or just a stand alone tiny snack. Late last night I had no
> more than one cup of cold beans as a snack.
>
> My bean recipe is basically -
> - 3-4 cans of pork and beans
> - 1 large onion chopped (or more)
> - 1 large green pepper chopped (or more)
> - 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
> - 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
> - 1 ear of fresh corn cut off the cob
>
> Heat and stir until it all starts to boil, let it simmer for
> maybe 5 minutes, then turn off heat, cover and let it sit. Eat
> some right away but let the pot sit on stove, covered, until it's
> cool enough to put in fridge.
>
> Note - to turn this into a good comfort whole meal, just add in a
> pound of ground beef (already cooked and drained) and a few more
> ears of corn cut off the cob.

Although I won't usually turn down any baked beans (BBQ style being an
exception), I prefer to start with dried beans. I use pea beans if I can
find them. If not, then the smallest white beans. I cook until tender then
drain (saving the liquid) and add tons of caramelized onion and some raw
onion, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt and tons of freshly
ground black pepper. Don't usually add green pepper but sometimes do.
Usually add bacon too. I will add a little of the bean water as it helps to
thicken the sauce. Since I usually make them in the Crock-Pot, I don't
usually need to add more liquid but I will keep some in the fridge just in
case.

At some point during the cooking process, everything tends to break down and
get too saucy. When this happens, I spoon off as much sauce as possible,
then cook it down on the stove and add back in. The end result is mildly
sweet and thick. No runny sauce.