Maple and Ginger Baked Beans

Just a comment on this recipe I submitted. Wow, haven't looked at this site in awhile... anyhow, in defense of this recipe... this is a variation of the more traditional New England baked bean dish (made with just brown sugar and/or molasses with ground mustard) and it is meant to be "subtle". Bland and slightly sweet actually with a hint of ginger zippiness. It is not like the baked bean dishes from the American West and South which are much spicier and zesty (which I also love, been looking for a good bbq/ranch style/southwestern type of bean recipe to try). Ketchup and other spices, as some reviewers suggested and added, seem almost sacrilegious. LOL As for the amount of water you add to the beans, the recipe as I originally submitted stated that it had to be monitored and adjusted accordingly. Different altitudes (I'm in Colorado) and crockpots will require some tweaking. Also, I always stir the beans a few times in the last few hours, which crushes a few beans and thickens up the dish overall. If there is too much water, I remove some. Cooking is an art, not a precise science... tweak as you go... adding more of "this" next time and less of "that"... which is why there are so many recipes for the "same dishes" out there.

After reading the reviews I was a little leary to try this recipe. I will have to say that I am very glad I did. There were a few subtle things that I changed only because of previous experience with cooking beans. The first was I added an extra cup of water so that the beans were nearly covered with the liquid mixture. I also added 1/4 cup more of brown sugar to help off set the extra water. I used the syrup I had on hand and it did not come out too sweet. I cooked the beans on high in the slow cooker for 5 1/2 hrs. and the beans soaked up most of the liquid so that it was not watery like previously stated. This recipe was a big hit with the family and we will be enjoying this for years to come.

I had to try these after reading the creator's review - her approach to cooking sounded like mine. The only modification I made was to use heaping teaspoons of ginger and mustard (it's a habit), and they're fabulous. Precooked, and then into the crock pot on low for 11.5 hours . . . they're for dinner tomorrow, and I'm so excited to taste how the flavors meld after setting for a day. Thanks for my new baked beans recipe!

Not sure what I did wrong, but these were not good - they came out very bland. My husband and I stood over the crock pot, repeatedly tasting then adding various spices we thought were missing until we finally gave up. I did discover through this recipe, however, that real maple syrup is heaven on earth!

This was a hit! I used a 1/2 of bacon instead of the salted pork. Cooked in slow cooker on low for 10 hrs and took the lid off the last hr. No problems with the beans having too much liquid. I am moaking again this weekend for another bday party.

Without reviews i tried this, & it is very good. I liked the ginger in the recipe, gave it new kick! I'd of never thought of putting ginger in this dish. I only gave it 4 stars even though it tastes wonderful because i think this much real maple syrup is a bit expensive to use for a basically baked bean dish. Would make this agin, but would try imitation maple syrup next time.

I use a half pound of bacon diced and fried in place of the salt pork. I sometimes use all molasses instead of the maple syrup. No matter how you make this one it is a keeper and tastes delicious.

My significant other wanted to try to make home made baked beans, so I found this recipe and gave it to him to make while I was gone for the day. I came home, the house smelled wonderful, and the beans were great. He used 1/2 pkg of smoked bacon cuz that's what we had. Used good quality pure maple syrup, and he didn't change a thing. Cooked for 11 hours on low, then 1/2 hour on high with the lid removed. Yum! Thank you for submitting this recipe! LoL!

I used the bean from a 15 bean soup mix I had on hand as well as a ham bone from a ham I had baked. I added a can of diced tomatoes as we like those in our beans. It turned out perfect and my kids couldn't get enough of this! Next time I'm making sure to serve it up with some corn bread.

After reading the poor review above, I thought maybe what this recipe needed was ketchup, so I added a 1/4 cup. Since I don't eat pork, I didn't put that in, and remembering that last time I made baked beans they were too sweet, I didn't put in the 1/4 cup of brown sugar. The flavors were wonderful! (Though I would reduce the amount of water by a cup, as it was too juicy.)

If there were 6 stars it would have my vote!

I made these beans to go with my smoked chicken dinner. I did a quick soak on the GN beans and then cooked an hour as per directed. Next time I would not cook that long b4 going into the slow cooker, but mine cooks sort of hot. I subed the salt pork for 1/2 lb browned bacon. I tasted them after a cpl hrs and added a little more mustard & ginger. My family all loved them and I will make them again.

These were very good. My first attempt at making baked beans, and they were very edible!

This is terrific - if you don't want to to deal with dry beans (or forgot to soak them overnight like I did) you can use 4 cans of unseasoned great northern beans. just rinse them really good and watch the amount of water you add, you won't need quite as much. This was a big hit and definitely a keeper!

a truly great tasting bean recipe

My grandmother from Maine used to make maple syrup beans for all the get togethers. This recipe was much like hers if I remember right, except for the ginger. We didn't care for the taste, it seemed to overpower the other flavors. I will try this again without the ginger. Thanks for sharing.

our family loves baked beans. the flavours were excellent. I needed to cook it a lot longer as it was a bit too runny. I will definitely make this again!

Not bad, I used bacon instead of diced pork, but everything else on the list remained the same. I did not use a slow cooker, just my dutch oven at 350 until the beans seemed done. They were good, but as the third baked bean recipe I've recently tried I think I lean more to a tomatoy based baked bean such as in the Boston Baked Bean recipe on the site. These were good and I may make again and adjust a little more to my taste.

I cooked the beans on high, and after 7 hrs, they were still a bit runny. Some of my family members really liked them, but my son and I prefer the baked beans that I do in the oven. I used real maple syrup, and probably could have used the fake syrup for a very similar taste, and less expense.

I made this for a Pastor Appreciation dinner. They thought they were store bought, and they were nearly gone by the end of the dinner. I took enough home for one bowl for myself. They were very tasty. Will definitely make these again.

Needed more salt and pepper once it hit the table

Not your normal baked beans so don't eat them expecting that...it will be different! My husband doesnt like baked beans and loved these!! We added garlic cloves.

I tweaked the recipie simply because I needed it within an hour, not a day! I used 2 cans of pinto beans 2 fully cooked pork patties along with the rest of the recipe... it smells so good, I cant wait to try it!!

I needed a baked bean recipe that did not call for ketchup or "pork and beans" due to an allergy. This was perfect! (although the picture that shows this recipe being white did not look appealing to me and I nearly didn't try it. How is that white when there is molasses in this recipe?) I didn't have time to soak beans over night (for dinner tonight), so I used the canned beans I had. Roma, Navy, white Kindey beans and a Mixed variety used for salads. Rinsed them, tossed them in with the listed ingredients and a big smoked pork hock and they were fabulous! Mine also had lots of extra liquid at the end, but a quick fix to that is using your stick blender to puree some of the beans up which will turn the liquid into a nice texture. (DO NOT DO THE ENTIRE POT! JUST MAYBE 1/2 CUP TO 1 CUP!). Thank you for this great option. :)

I will make this again. A good foundation/method recipe. I used 2 pounds of beans, because that's what I had and my crockpot is large. I increased other ingredients more or less proportionately. I did have to add water to the crockpot to cover the beans, but then at the end there was too much sauce and the dish was watery so I took off the lid and turned it on high as directed and that helped a lot. I missed the tomato flavor, so at the end I stirred in about 3 Tablespoons of tomato paste; I think this could use up to a whole can (small) of tomato paste. Next time I make it, I will increase the ginger too, but I really like ginger.