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psittacine

1st Red Beans -Success! Baked Beans next- Info Needed.

psittacine
11 years ago

Red Beans- Perusing info here as well as from nchfp, yesterday I canned my first 17 pints of beans very successfully! All jars have adequate liquid, thanks to all who were generous with their time in sharing the info necessary to have that outcome.

I started with 5 pounds beans. With no room to spare, I used a 10 quart pot to cook the beans. I prepared them following the nchfp recipe then I put 1.5 cup red beans in each regular mouth jar and a scant 1.33 cup in each wide mouth jar, using long handled dry measuring cups. The jars were finished to 1â headspace with cooking liquid which was supplemented heavily with boiling water from another pot. Along with the 17 jars, I had about 5 cups in the fridge for other use.

Baked Beans - I plan to put together a double batch of them for the first time in a couple of days. Approved information said I could use bacon instead of salt pork, which IâÂÂll do. I know nothing about salt pork but know that even the best of bacon has a bunch of fat. How do they compare? Says use ý lb. bacon or salt pork per 2 lb. dry beans. This will make for very good flavor, but how do I know if it is too fatty? Forever reading about the insulation properties of fat/botulism, it makes me feel I need to know more for confidence sake.

Recipe: âÂÂTo can Beans, mixture must be âÂÂsoupyâÂÂâÂÂ
I am serious when I ask, âÂÂWhat kind of soup?â I do not eat store-bought soup. Can anyone help explain how thick/thin this should be, please? .... or, do you know of a website or video that shows this?

Each batch of baked beans calls for 3 large onions. I've forgotten who, but someone here once gave a handy site/page that listed averages for such things as how many pounds or cups equal so much small, medium large onion etc., or other fruit/veggies. I thought I had bookmarked it but can't find it. Anyone have it and have time to share, I'd appreciate :D

Here is a link that might be useful: nchfp - beans

Comments (7)

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    Salt pork is another cut than bacon. it is from the fat on the sides and belly and is mostly white, and cured in salt. So it is much fatter, not to mention more salty, than bacon. Preferable taste for the beans - bacon.

    But refresh my memory - where are you getting the "use ý lb. bacon or salt pork per 2 lb. dry beans" info from? It isn't in the NCHFP instructions. They restrict the meats to only 7 3/4" pieces of pork, bacon or ham. Is this the BBB recipe or another source?

    "Soupy" means the solids move freely in the liquid, slosh around in the liquid, within the jar.

    1 large onion, chopped = approx. 1 cup.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Baked beans

  • malna
    11 years ago

    "...a handy site/page that listed averages for such things as how many pounds or cups equal so much small, medium large onion etc., or other fruit/veggies. I thought I had bookmarked it but can't find it. Anyone have it and have time to share, I'd appreciate :D "

    This one from Ball (freshpreserving.com) is one I use a lot.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Produce Purchase Guide

  • psittacine
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Malna, thanks for that link. It will be very useful.

    Dave, you helped clear some things up. Thank you very much.

    NCHFP on their Baked Beans recipe is very unclear and I think it is an especially bad one for those new to canning to use.
    Recipe with parts truncated:
    âÂÂAn average of 5 pounds of beans is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 3ü pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints" an average of þ pounds per quart.âÂÂ
    âÂÂPrepare molasses sauce as follows" Mix 4 cups water or cooking liquid from beans, 3 tablespoons dark molasses, 1 tablespoon vinegarâ¦..âÂÂ
    âÂÂProcedure: Soak and boil beans as followsâ¦.âÂÂ
    âÂÂPlace seven þ-inch pieces of pork, ham, or bacon in an earthenware crock, a large casserole, or a pan. Add beans and enough molasses sauce to cover beans.âÂÂ

    Processing times there calls for pints 65 minutes & quarts 75 minutes.
    Nowhere does it state the weight or amount of the beans that the water, spices and seven pieces of meat are flavoring. 7 pieces of meat wouldnâÂÂt do much to flavor the 4 pounds of beans I processed.

    Both BBB and Bernadine calls for 2 lbs. beans, a similar list of procedures, sugars and spices and 1/2 lb. salt pork. Process times for those two are: Pints - 80 minutes and quarts 95 minutes. This is what I used with bacon instead of salt pork.

  • gardnpondr
    7 years ago

    Can I do the baked beans in a crock pot instead of baking in the oven part? I'd fry my bacon first and drain off the grease and then add the beans and molasses etc. Would that be safe to do? Don't want to heat up the house with the oven since it's mega hot here already. :(

  • digdirt2
    7 years ago

    Sure, they just won't be baked beans if done in a crockpot since most crockpots don't have a temperature control and are cooked with the lid in place. But as long as they are the equivalent of 350 degrees - there shouldn't be a safety issue.

    Dave

  • pqtex
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Make a small batch your first time to make baked beans. I found that I did not like the flavor of the sauce in the baked beans the first time I made them. After the first jar was opened and tried, I now rinse the beans off and re-season them after opening. For subsequent beans, I will make plain beans according to directions and then make my baked beans how I like them after opening the jar, adding my own sauce, onions, bacon, etc.

    Edited: I didn't realize this was an old thread when answering, so my answer pertains mostly to the canning of the recipe, rather than the later question of preparing in the crockpot vs the oven.


  • gardnpondr
    7 years ago

    Thank you!!!