I soaked the beans overnight and then put everything in the crockpot at the same time to let them cook. I also used ham to season the beans that I had left over from a Sunday dinner in the freezer. These beans were great. I would not change a thing. I cooked them in the crockpot on low overnight and then turned the crockpot up to high when I got up in the morning and let them cook for 3 more hours or so. They were soooooo good. My three year old who hardly eats anything loved them. She even asked for seconds and I had to fry her some chicken to go with the second bowl.Thanks for the great recipe.
Whoever gave this less than 5 stars is drunk. I joined this website just so I could comment on this recipe. I soaked the dry beans overnight, threw them in the crockpot and decreased water to 3 cups. Added a 1/2 tsp of dry mustard and two slices of bacon in with all the other ingredients, and set the crockpot on low for eight hours. I came home from work and walked in the door and .. oh .. my .. god. The smell alone was enough to warrant the effort. Upon eating them, I died. Seriously. So good that I died. I'm using the allrecipes review forum as a medium from the other side. Excellent recipe.
Everybody in my family liked this, though we all found it too sweet. The long cooking definitely adds a richness and depth of flavor. I added mustard in with the ketchup mixture, and a half pound of partially cooked bacon and some leftover grilled bratwurst. I also found the beans quite soupy, though that may be because I cooked them in a cast iron Dutch oven and couldn't drain them well after the initial boil. (The soupiness was corrected with cooking after the first three hours at 225 and then for 1/2 hour at 400 before serving, as I was baking muffins.) Next time I think I will omit the maple syrup and use only the brown sugar, and again add mustard and bacon.
I give this recipe a two as kind of an average. Please note, I followed the recipe to the letter. People at the party left their beans on their plates. Here's how I came to the two average. The flavor is terrible. Too sweet, no kick and no dimension. The cheapest canned beans have more complex flavor. For technique, I would give this recipe five stars. This has got to be the way to cook beans for perfect texture. The problem here is in the ingredients. It should have been a red flag when there was no vinegar, no mustard, no roasted peppers, etc. The Worcestershire sauce and chili powder are no match for the syrup, molasses and brown sugar. I'll use this recipe as a guide to come up with beans that please a Midwestern crowd.
Fantastic when used as a base recipe. I added white vinegar (1-2 tsp), 1/2 tsp dry mustard, a dash of poultry seasoning and used red kidney beans as that was what we had on hand. It needs a tang to counter the sweet. I also cooked the onion and garlic first for a more complex flavor.
This was my third and final attempt at baked beans that weren't horrible - and they were exactly the opposite! This is a keeper for sure. I also added 1 finely diced green pepper, 1 tsp. vinegar, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard and a dash of poultry seasoning. I added a little less water after hearing it was too soupy, but mine actually turned out a little dry, so I would stick to the recipe. Although many people said they were too sweet, I found the opposite and added some brown sugar mid-way through cooking - perhaps because my molasses were unsweetened.
This recipe is wonderful. I cut the Maple syrup in half, because we often think recipes are to sweet. I also put it all in the crockpot all day and took the lid off for the last hour or so to thicken them up a bit. I will be making this recipe many times. Thank you
Added bell pepper, a couple shakes of hot sauce, and 1/4th cup brown sugar. Omitted Ketchup added 1 small can tomato paste and 2 tbs mustard. I feel sorry for my neighbors having to smell it all day. Cooked in crockpot low for 3 hours and high for 7 hours. Results were raved about.
The first time I made this I used pancake syrup and it was way too sweet. I just made this recipe again. Except this time I used pure maple syrup. It was fantastic.
