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Molasses Spiced Beans

Spiced Baked Beans with a warming spice blend that offers a bit of Heat for some wonderful and quite amazing Sweet Heat Baked Beans. The thing about these Beans is not only the Aroma that fills the kitchen as they cook, which is just pure comfort. But the incredible taste of these Beans is something else. It’s a beautiful blend of warming spices and a very nice Sweet Heat, which just makes it. You’ll take a bite and go yeah, pretty good. But then afterward, the lingering flavors, the lure of it, there’s something special about it, and you’ll find yourself wanting more.

Spiced Baked Beans Ingredients

Navy Beans, Fat, Onion, Bean Sauce (Molasses, Ketchup, Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Liquid Smoke), Bean Spices (Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Dry Mustard, Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove, Mace).

Beans

Navy Beans are used for this recipe. But it isn’t uncommon to see other Beans such as Northern Beans, Yellow Beans, Pinto Beans or Kidney Beans. A total of two Cups of Beans is used in this recipe, which yeilds enough for six decent sides.

Navy Beans

Soaking the Beans

It takes a very long time for water to penetrate fully into the beans. Soaking 24 hours allows to do just that. But even that isn’t enough to fully get through. The Beans will also need to be simmered separately until softened before the Bean Sauce is added.

While you can just soak the beans in the salt water overnight. Best results are achieved if you place them into a pot and bring it to a boil, then set aside to cool down before refrigerating for the night. This gives the beans a head start at softening much more than just soaking, especially where these are small beans. The heat can really get in and work. While the salt works at flavoring the beans overnight. This method produces beautiful plump beans that do not break, perfectly creamy and well seasoned throughout, just incredible!

Boiled and Refrigerated Beans overnight

Softening the Beans

After soaking the beans to soften a bit, further softening is done by simmering the beans. Times will vary based on the size of the beans. Even amongst the same type of beans, the size will differ slightly and cause some beans to be a bit softer than others. This is why a low and slow heat is much preferred with beans to control this more evenly. The age of the beans will also affect cook times. As well as your heat level, and whether the pot is covered or not. Which increases the heat in the pot or not.

The goal here is to soften the beans completely through, with no splitting of the Beans. Splitting of the skin is okay. But avoid the Beans breaking down too much and actually splitting the beans or turning into mush. The Beans should be wholly intact, seasoned well, soft, plump and creamy. Mind you, you will get some that break, but in general most of your beans should be good. A Low & Slow cook will assist you in this far better than forcing the beans to soften faster at higher heats and in a shorter time. Take your time with this.

How to simmer Beans

Bring the soaked beans, along with Onion & Fat to a boil. Hold that hard boil for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer while covered and the vent open until the Beans are softened all the way through, without any splitting of the Beans. This should take about 1 hour. Watch for any beans splitting, at about the 45 minute mark and simmer longer if needed to soften.

The Beans will further soften, albeit very slowly, while cooked in the sauce. The outside will firm up from the acidity in the Bean Sauce when added. Adjust the cook times as you see fit to get perfectly tender Beans. This will vary too based on the beans being used and how old or fresh they are.

Softening the Beans with Onion & Ham Fat

Type of Fat to use for Baked Beans

Beans naturally cry out for fat. Mix a Fat with Beans, and immediately it will taste better. About 1/4 lb or 114g of Naturual Fat or more for 2 Cups of Beans. Ideally animal fats, such as any trimmings from Pork or Ham. Ham is absolutely fantastic to use and everytime I have a Ham, I slice off the fat and freeze it for this recipe. Chop it up in pieces and add to the Beans, when simmering to soften and render the fat out.

For a Vegetarian Spiced Baked Beans dish, use about 1/4 C of light tasting Olive Oil per 2 Cups of Beans. Neutral Oils can also be used.

Traditionally, in the East Coast, Salt Fat Back is used. Although if using this you will want to dice and soak in water for 2 hours to get rid of any excess salt. Bacon is another good substitute. Although that Ham fat is pretty damn good too and will immediately make you think Split Pea Soup with Ham. What a good aroma!

Fat in Molasses Baked Beans

For Molasses Baked Beans, the fat of choice is animal fats such as diced fat from Pork Chops, Ham, or Bacon and the Fat it contributes or traditionally Salt Pork.

Onions

Onions just add better flavor to Beans. Small dice and Include them while softening the Beans. This breaks down the Onions so that they almost or completely dissolve and are undetectable in the Beans, but still elevate the flavors from being included.

Yellow Onions

Spiced Baked Beans Sauce

Once the Beans have been prepared and softened, they are ready to make some seriously good Stovetop Beans. This is where we get into the Bean Sauce that will be used to add Flavor to the Beans. Combine all the ingredients together, or add them one by one to the pot of simmering beans, right there in the pot with the water. Add more water if needed to keep the Beans submerged.

From here the Beans get simmered until done to your liking and the sauce has thickened.

Molasses Spiced Beans

Good old Molasses beans, this is the Bean Sauce used for these beans, to give a slight smokey, savory sweet flavor. With the Spices added, we get a dynamic pleasant warming flavor with a nice heat to the beans.

Spiced Molasses Beans Sauce

Molasses Bean Sauce

  • 1/2 C Fancy Molasses
  • 1/4 C Ketchup & Sugar
  • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
  • Baked Bean Spices

Spiced Baked Beans Seasoning

The seasoning used to flavor the Beans are made up of warming spices. It is absolutely amazing and so easy to put together, but what a flavor, you don’t even know! There is such a beautiful warming synchronicity to the flavors with a nice heat that I have just never tasted in Beans before, and now is an absolute must. Combine the below ingredients for the spices and add them to the Baked Bean Sauce or the pot of Beans with the Bean Sauce as you go.

This recipe does contain a bit of Black Pepper for a very nice heat. But those sensitive to heat may want to drop the Black Pepper in half. Don’t drop it too much, the heat is very important in how the flavors play out. In part causing that aftertaste where you just want another bite.

Stovetop Baked Bean Seasoning

Bean Spices

  • 1 tsp each of Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Dry Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 1/4 tsp each of Cinnamon, Clove, and Mace

Cooking Spiced Baked Beans

After the beans have soaked overnight. The entire pot or deep pan is placed back on the burner over max heat to come to a hard boil. This hard boil is held for 10 minutes, before dropping the heat down to medium low. Then covered to cook until the beans are softened and the liquids have reduced a bit. Keep an eye on the beans at this stage. The beans should be nice and plump, no splitting and creamy throughout. A bit too soft is fine as long as the beans are not split. The acidity added later in the bean sauce will firm up the exterior.

Softened Navy Beans

Bean Sauce & Spices

Once the Beans are softened to your liking, about 1 hour, the Bean Sauce is added. The Beans are further cooked while covered to allow the flavors to penetrate into the Beans and the flavors to meld. As well as firming up the Bean’s exterior from the added vinegar and to reduce the sauce to the desired thickness. This takes about another 1 hour or until the beans are at the desired thickeness.

Stir everyonce in a while to avoid the beans sticking to the bottom of the pan or pot. Also reduce the heat more as the sauce thickens, to keep it at a simmer.

Add Sauce and Spices for Molasses Spiced Beans

The Beans at this point should be colored nicely, and creamy all the way through. With the exterior hardened up a bit from the acidity in the Bean Sauce, but still soft. How far the Beans are reduced will determine the thickness, strength of flavor, and heat.

Stovetop Molasses Spiced Beans

Thickening the Bean Sauce

Thickening the Sauce is optional. There is a natural thickness to the sauce as it reduces. The Beans can continue to cook until the desired thickness is achieved. This does intensify the flavors even more. If you’re in a position where the Beans taste perfect. But the thickness is not there, or you want a lighter flavor. Then use a slurry to thicken the sauce to the desired thickness.

Spiced Beans thickened with Slurry

In Nove Scotia, we like our Beans in a thick sauce, with buttered bread (preferrably Molasses Bread). If a thicker sauce is desired, then get the beans to the desired taste, add the slurry to thicken the sauce while mixing. Repeat as necessary to get the thickness desired. If you accidentally thicken too much, just add water to thin out.

Slurry Arrowroot and Water

Slurry

To thicken the Bean Sauce, mix 1 tsp of Arrowroot & 1 tsp of Water and pour it into the Baked Beans while mixing towards the end. When they are uncovered to cook/reduce at the end.

I find Arrowroot is more suited than other starches, offering up that syrupy like texture.

Molasses Spiced Beans thickened with Slurry

Spiced Beans thickened with Molasses

In Nova Scotia we also like very sweet Beans. So the addition of Molasses works perfectly here. Both thickening the Beans and adding sweetness. Just add the desired amount to thicken it up and add sweeteness before serving.

Molasses Spiced Beans thickened with more Molasses

How to store baked beans

Place leftover Beans in a Tupperware container and refrigerate for up to 3–5 days. If longer storage is required, place the beans in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware and freeze for up to 3 months. They can be frozen for longer but start to degrade after 3 months or so.

When the reaheating beans that have been stored, they will go much thicker. More water will be needed to thin it out to the desired consistency while reheating. You can thicken it with more molasses or a slurry and thin out with more water to adjust the consistency.

Reheating Beans

Place the Beans into a pan over medium heat with a splash of water to reheat. Use more water to adjust the consistency and cook until heated through with a nice thickness to the sauce. If previously frozen, take out the night before to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

Molasses Spiced Beans

Spiced Baked Beans

Spiced Baked Beans with a warming spice blend that offers a bit of Heat for some wonderful and quite amazing Sweet Heat Baked Beans. The thing about these Beans is not only the Aroma that fills the kitchen as they cook, which is just pure comfort. But the incredible taste of these Beans is something else. It's a beautiful blend of warming spices and a very nice Sweet Heat, which just makes it. You'll take a bite and go yeah, pretty good. But then afterward, the lingering flavors, the lure of it, there's something special about it, and you'll find yourself wanting more.
Servings: 6 portions
Prep10 minutes
Cook 2 hours
Soak Time1 day

Equipment

  • 1 Deep Skillet or Pan with lid
  • 1 Digital Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 C Water
  • 2 C Beans - Navy or White Beans
  • 1 Tbl Sea Salt
  • 1 Onion - diced small
  • 114 g Fat - See notes

Baked Beans Spices

  • 1 tsp Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, and Dry Mustard - each, use 1/2 tsp Black Pepper for less heat
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, Clove, and Mace - each

Molasses Baked Bean Sauce

  • 1/2 C Fancy Molasses
  • 1/4 C Ketchup & Sugar - each
  • 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
  • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Slurry — optional

  • 1 tsp Arrowroot
  • 1 tsp Water

Instructions

  • Add Beans to the deep pan or pot and cover with 8 Cups of Water & 1 Tbl of Sea Salt. Bring it to a boil and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge to soak overnight, a full 24 hours.
  • Heat the refrigerated pot of Beans over max heat and add your diced Onions & Fat. Bring to a boil and hold for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low to simmer for about 1 hour, covered. Check at 45 minutes and simmer longer if needed. The beans should be soft & starchy or creamy throughout, without any hard or grainy texture and no splitting of the beans.
    Note that because the sauce contains vinegar, the beans exterior will harden a bit, so be sure you simmer the beans until creamy all the way through first before adding the sauce which contains the vinegar.
  • When the Beans are softened to your liking, add the Bean Sauce ingredients & Bean Spice. Mix well and continue to cook while covered for another 1 hour or longer, mixing every so often. Reduce the heat lower as the sauce thickens to maintain a simmer.
  • When the Beans are colored nicely and the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove from heat and serve right away.
    If a thicker consistency to the beans are desired, add more molasses or add the slurry.
    To add the slurry, combine the Arrowroot & Cold Water together in a small bowl to mix and pour into the simmering beans, while mixing until thickened. Repeat if necessary until thickened to your liking.

Notes

 
BEAN FAT:  The Fat can come from previously trimmed fat from pork chops, pork loins or ham that have been frozen for later use. I do this often when slicing ham for braising. I just trim off all the fat and freeze it. It can also come from bacon, or salt pork back that has been diced and soaked in water for about 2 hours. This is done to get rid of the excess salt before including with the Beans. Use 1/4 lb or 114 g or more, no matter the type of Fat used. Optionally use 1/4 C of Neutral Oil if preferred.
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Canadian, Maritimer
Keywords: Baked Beans, East Coast Baked Beans, Maritime Baked Beans, Molasses Baked Beans, Spiced Baked Beans, Spiced Beans, Stovetop Baked Beans, Stovetop Beans, Sweet Heat Baked Beans
Author: JAH

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