Anna's Baked Beans

Well, I am making my recently-traditional New Year's Day food, baked beans made with the ham-bone from my Christmas dinner replacing the bacon and the dripping from said ham replacing the molasses. Since I glaze my ham with my super-secret home-made pickled-peach glaze, the drippings are sweet, fragrant and VERY spicy ... YUM. I started this the other year when I was unemployed and at the very end of my unemployment checks (they just barely paid the house payment each month, so food was secondary) and now I do it on purpose because it came out so well. I do it on New Year's Day because I have to a) soak the beans for 12-18 hours, then cook for 2 or 3 and b) bake the beans for 10 hours after I've poured them into the baking dish. Perfect thing to make on New Year's Eve/Day, when I don't want or need to be anywhere for about 48 hours. Good stuff, too!

Anna's Baked Beans

1 pound or so of pink beans (I like pintos, but I bet any large-ish bean would work), washed then soaked 12-18 hours, simmered in covered pan for 2 or 3 hours, until the skins dance around enthusiastically when you dip out a spoonful and blow on them.

Pour off the cooking water into a container for later, then mix the beans with:

1 tsp salt (or thereabouts, depending on taste)
2 tbsp Coleman's Mustard Powder (or whatever your favorite powdered mustard is)
1 tsp ground ginger + a couple of shakes of the container for extra flavor

Add the ham drippings, including the fat. I had about 1-1/2 cups, and it was in the 'fridge for a week, so it was completely gelled when I took it out. I let it sit in the hot beans until it had melted completely. (If anyone wants to try the peach-pickle glaze, let me know. (grin) It's only secret because no one is brave enough to try it out!)

Put the ham-bone in the bottom of a biggish baking dish (I love Corelle dishes!), pour the beans over the top, cover and put it into the oven.

Bake covered at 250°F for 10 hours, adding extra cooking water from the beans if it starts to dry out. I keep a cookie sheet (or other pan with sides) underneath in case it starts dripping over the edge. Smells heavenly right now, even if it's only been in for an hour. I'll be eating this for the rest of the week. :)

Anna
(1/1/00)