Burnt End Baked Beans
Turn regular baked beans into a savory, spicy side that everyone loves
Turn regular baked beans into a savory, spicy side that everyone loves with a few burnt ends added to the foray. Kansas City-style burnt ends are the last part of the cut of brisket, and these tender pieces of beef make great little chunks of meat to go in stews, soups and beans. You can find burnt ends at your local butcher shop, specialty meat store or barbecue restaurant by the pound. Beans combined with the meat provide protein and fiber to go along with plenty of flavor. When the beans simmer with the meat, the flavors mix and the beef gets even juicier than it was before. The fix-and-forget homemade beans cook in a slow cooker all day so everything is tender by dinner time.
Burnt End Baked Beans
Yield(s): Serves 8-10
5hours active, 1day inactive
Ingredients
- 2 pounds dried navy beans
- 8 slices of bacon
- 3/4 cup light molasses
- 1 onion
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons pickle juice
- 6 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 cups burnt ends
Preparation
- Soak the beans overnight in cold water, and then drain them completely. Place the beans in a cast-iron casserole dish, and cover them with enough water to stand 1/2 inch above the beans.
- Bring the beans to a boil, and let them simmer for 30 minutes or until they are tender. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the bacon until crisp, or about five to six minutes. Chop the onion into coarse pieces, and add the onion to the bacon with about three minutes left to go on the meat.
- Chop the cooked bacon into small pieces, and then add it to the casserole with the beans. Place the browned onions in the casserole as well.
- Add the molasses, light brown sugar, ketchup, pickle juice and dry mustard to the casserole. Cover and bake for three hours in the oven.
- Replace water in the casserole as needed to keep the beans covered by 1/2 inch. Stir the casserole occasionally.
- Chop the burnt ends into cubes, and stir them into the casserole after three hours of baking in the oven. Bake for an additional 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, to let the flavors blend.
Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine