More Snow! and the “Cozy Factor” of Barbequed Baked Beans

We’ve had a lot of snow! Coming inside after shoveling for the 4th or 5th day in a row, invigorated by the cold, the idea popped in my head to make a batch of baked beans with my favorite barbeque sauce recipe, hailing back to the days of cooking demos at Happy Heart Farm CSA in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I heard it was “the best” back then, though when it comes to BBQ sauce, I certainly don’t want to step into the ring with, say, Texas….or…..Georgia…..or a cowboy with a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand….making his batch of barbeque. Nothing against cowboys, or Jack Daniels (especially in a chocolate truffle…..that’s another post) but you know a man and his favorite sauce can slather on some pretty fierce competition! I’ll let you be the judge with my easy to make sauce, and I won’t be offended if yours is better! Anyway, with the snow still coming down, pretty heavily, the supreme “cozy” factor of a pot of beans boiling on the stove while snow drifts swirled outside the windows sounded really enticing.

The first time I had ever cooked dried large lima beans was back last September, you might remember – for my butternut squash tostadas. Have you ever tried them? So tasty, and a little unexpected because they are a wonderful, richly flavored OVERSIZED bean. Put a big pot of water on, and boil ’em ’til they’re done. (Or soak overnight, rinse and do the same.) Mix with your sauce and bake. Mmmmm……

boiling the large dried limas

the classic bean pot

my favorite ketchup

jar of chipotles … you know how much I love them…

that luscious sauce….

just out of the oven

corn sticks and hearts….

cowboy up!

Chipotle Molasses Barbeque Sauce :
Take care in choosing the ketchup for this sauce. The very best you can find, then whisk together ~

1 1/2 c. organic ketchup (I like Muir Glen brand – it’s thick, rich and spiced just right)
1 c. water
1/2 c. blackstrap molasses
2 1/2 tbsp. or to taste minced chipotle peppers

BBQ Baked Beans:

3 c. dried large lima beans (Of course you can make your bbq beans with any kind of bean you like. I sometimes make a tri-color batch, with organic black beans, cannellini (white) and small kidney beans – straight from their cans. Or a batch with lentils.
water

Soak beans overnight if you have the foresight! Otherwise, rinse the beans and boil in plenty of pure water until they are very soft, a good 2 hours, or a little longer. In a bean pot or other ovenproof baking dish, stir beans and sauce together. (Add some sautéed onion and garlic if you like.) Bake covered, at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. When you pull them from the oven, stir to evenly blend, as the beans tend to settle while baking – then serve.

*My big brother, when our mom made her legendary roast pork and baked (Great Northern) beans, used to make baked bean sandwiches the next day with the left overs. I can still see him walking out of the kitchen with one in his hand, smiling and chewing. Crazy bro!