Fish don’t fry in the kitchen, beans don’t burn on the grill

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norm

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 21, 2006
7
10
It's amazing to see many others here have discovered items to smoke on their own...

This recipe is a meld of flavors, nothing stands out. Everywhere I take them people are simply amazed, always asking "How do you make them?" I answer, "I smoke em" That ends the conversation pretty quick, no one wants to take the time anymore.

Here are the ingredients, all measurements are guesses, but probably in the ball park.

48 oz Pork and Beans, Drained
Ketchup – same amount as drained liquid
1 large onion, diced
¼ cup dark brown sugar or raw sugar
1 stick of butter

Wow, I never really noticed before, there are only five ingredients... well, six really, the sixth being smoke.

I find pear wood works the best, but any will do, the exception being mesquite, good for meat, not for beans. Also avoid temptation to add garlic. I thought garlic went in everything, but it does not go in these beans, I tried it once and received many complaints.

I see there are suggestions to use those disposable metal trays, I may have to try them sometime. I prefer though to use cast iron. If you are going to take these beans into someone's I suggest transfering them to a different container after they are cooked as the cast iron will have the whole house smelling like smoke. While I do not have a problem with that others do. Hmmm, I bet one of the metal trays would work good for that.

I have both a cast iron dutch oven with a looped handle on the top and one with three legs. You can even use a cast iron skillet.

Combine all ingredients in your cookware of choice. I usually then stick it on the stove top stirring ocassionaly to warm up until the butter is melted.

Into the smoker it goes. Temperature really does not matter, what matters is that there is smoke and a lot of it. Stir beans every 15 minutes or so, the smoke does not make it much past the top layer, stirring the top layer under a few times throughout the process seems to give them a better smoked flavor. I've done anywhere from a half hour to three hours.

After the beans have been smoked to taste, time to finish them. This is the main reason I use cast iron, right onto the fire goes the cookware. If not using cast, a rack above the fire will probably be needed.

We want to heat these babies up to carmelize that sugar and reduce the liquids. Though right on the fire ( or very near it) keep the lid closed, there is still more smoke to be garnered. Stir the beans much more frequently now. Keep this process going until the beans have reached the desired consistency. Mine is wallpaper paste.


Enjoy!


Norm
 
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