I’m really excited to have discovered Serious Eats, a website on kitchen chemistry, or rather one that explains why preparing foods or cooking dishes a certain way makes them taste better, while looking for a recipe for BBQ beans.  

For one, this recipe had me not just soak dried beans overnight in water, but in salted water. I had heard the overnight soak was supposed to make processing beans a bit easier for the body, but the addition of salt to the water is supposed to lend beans a creamier texture. Two, I’ve made barbecue beans on the stovetop quicker, which had a soupier sauce, but this low and slow recipe in the oven is supposed to allow the beans to cook gently while the sauce thickens.

Also, in the process of letting these beans cook for an hour on the stovetop and then for another four hours in the oven, I realized that my oven burns hot. I stopped cooking the beans after four hours, though the recipe suggested I continue cooking for another hour with the lid off. After that initial stint in the oven, my beans were a little “well-done” in some areas around the edges.

I’ve heard that all ovens are different and when one says it’s 450°F, it could really be 425° while another could be 475°F, but didn’t think that it could have such implications until this recipe. It reinforced the importance of following sensory signals – the browning of a crust, the smell of caramelization, etc. – more closely than time recommendations. Good lesson.

I wouldn’t claim to be an expert on barbecue beans – I liked the ones I made on the stovetop and those that come in a can – but these were great and the sauce was definitely better than any of the others can claim. It was a great side for barbecue pork ribs, also accompanied by broccoli slaw and homemade biscuits.

BBQ Beans
Serves 6-8 as a side

Kosher salt
1 pound small dried beans (Great Northern, navy, pinto), picked over and rinsed
8 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon barbecue rub (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon hot sauce

In a large container, whisk together 2 quarts (8 cups) water and 2 tablespoons salt until salt has dissolved. Add beans, cover, and let stand overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse beans.

Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until fat has rendered and bacon has crisped, 7-10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving as much fat in dutch oven as possible.

Add onion to Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens and begins to brown around the edges, about 7 minutes. Stir in green pepper, jalapeño, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups of water, chicken stock, reserved bacon, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 300°F while beans are simmering.

After an hour, stir in ketchup, brown sugar, honey, molasses, mustard, vinegar, barbecue rub, and hot sauce. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook beans for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and cook until beans are tender throughout and sauce has thickened, about 1 hour longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Season with salt. Serve immediately; alternatively, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze. Reheat before serving.

Barbecue Rub
Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons seasoned salt
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Store in an airtight container and use as needed. Alternatively, you could do what I did and fill up a tablespoon with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, trying to adhere to the 1:2 ratio for some of the spices above, and not worrying too much about whether you’ve got it just right.