Amish Baked Beans in the Crockpot

Going to a picnic this holiday weekend?

Baked Beans should be a frugal meal or side dish, but if you are buying cans of beans, you are losing out on both money and flavor.  They are simple to make from scratch, they freeze well, and I think you will be pleased with the result.  Here is my recipe for Amish Baked Beans, only I cook them in the crock pot, which obviously, the Amish would not do.  :)

- 2 lbs. navy beans - picked through and rinsed
- pinch baking soda
- 1/2 lb. salt pork, cut in quarters or I prefer about 6 strips of uncooked bacon cut up
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 tbs. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. powdered mustard
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 c. molasses (dark or light according to your taste)
- BBQ sauce to taste - get something flavorful and zesty (I use about 1/2 c.)

Soak the beans for about 8 hours (or overnight) with enough water to cover them.  Drain and rinse. Dump them in a stockpot, bring them to a boil then and add the baking soda. Lower the heat, skim off the foam, and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes, or until the skins peel back when blown upon. If there is too much liquid, drain some of it off. Add the onion, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper and molasses and mix well. Place the piece of salt pork or your strips of bacon in the bottom of your crockpot and dump the beans on top. Cook on low in the crockpot for 8-10 hours. Just before serving, add a generous amount of BBQ sauce to taste and stir it in.  (Keep in mind, too much stirring makes them mushy.) 
Serves 16

You can halve the amount, but I never do.  I just freeze extras in quart size containers because you can make it a quick meal by mixing in some ground beef, cut up hot dogs or sausage.  Serve it with some cornbread and a green salad if you want to round it out or just enjoy your beans by themselves. 


My Mom's Potato Salad - another delicious picnic side
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