BARBECUED BAKED BEANS

1 pound small white beans
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery with leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce or 6 large fresh tomatoes
chopped and stewed for 1 hour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup thick molasses
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
chicken, veal, or pork stock (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup country cured slab bacon, diced

Wash beans, place in large pot and cover with cool water, boil for 5
minutes, and remove from heat; let sit for 1 hour with tight lid. In
skillet, sauté onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil on
a high
flame for 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add tomato sauce,
sugar,
molasses, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cloves, and simmer for 30
minutes. Pour off water from beans and replace with 3 1/2 cups
(approximately) fresh cool water or meat stock. Add bay leaves, salt,
pepper, and thyme. Let simmer, covered, until beans are tender. Sauté
bacon cubes; drain. Drain liquid
from beans and reserve. Combine beans and tomato sauce in Dutch oven or
bean pot. Top with bacon and bake in 300-degree oven for 3 to 5 hours.
Stir beans now and then, adding reserved liquid when needed.
---

Sheldon wrote:
> BARBECUED BAKED BEANS
> [snip good recipe]

What?! No crackpot crockpot? No ketchup bottle? Real beans? Done in
less than 12 hours? What are you thinking.... -aem

They sound wonderful, but a question? After all that work, time, and
volume, would they freeze well? Or would the beans degrade and fall
apart in the freezing and defrosting process?

wrote:
> They sound wonderful, but a question? After all that work, time, and
> volume, would they freeze well? Or would the beans degrade and fall
> apart in the freezing and defrosting process?

I think beans hold up reasonably well to freezing and reheating. Maybe
the texture could get a little bit softer, but not so much that I'd
avoid freezing them. -aem

In article .com>,
" > wrote:

> They sound wonderful, but a question? After all that work, time, and
> volume, would they freeze well? Or would the beans degrade and fall
> apart in the freezing and defrosting process?

I think you'd have a shot at a decent result if you thaw the beans
slowly and absolutely without poking at them to try to break them up to
speed the thawing. Especially if they were a little firm to start with.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 12-13-05 - RIP, Gerri