Bean Blog

O.k. peeps, here is the scoop on beans.  Or at least what i do with beans.

Start with fatty meat.  Beans are always better with some fatty meat.  I used a third of a package of maple flavored bacon.  I just cut it up with kitchen shears (which i was sure to wash thoroughly afterwards) and heat on medium lowish.

While that's going, i grabbed a half of an onion.  Here's one of you don't know what they look like.  And i chopped it up.  No special pattern...just in smaller pieces.

When the bacon looks like this....

...add the onions and stir it up.

When the onions and the bacon look like this - ten minutes or so later...

...add beans and water.  For this pot, i used 32 ounces of pinto beans, which is about all you can make in a 6 quart stock pot like this one.

Do you remember my rule?  Low and slow is the way to go.  It goes for beans especially.  I keep it at a simmer at as low a temperature as possible, usually low to medium low.  Keeping the lid on helps it not to run dry but isn't entirely necessary.  Two hours or so later, it looks like this.  The other key to a good pot of country beans is frequent stirring.  Frequent stirring helps build up that good beany gravy, not pictured here.  I let these cook for about 2 1/2 MORE hours (adding water as needed - do NOT let these run dry).  Sorry i don't have a picture of the actual finished product.  I think i was distracted by overachieving children at the time.

Then i made cornbread.  In fact, i forgot about the very forgiving cornbread, baking it about 30 minutes longer than necessary.

And it still turned out great.

That was beans and cornbread.

I have to go to bed now because tomorrow i have friends coming over to eat some of these very beans - they're just that famous.

But before i go, here's a puppy.

Don't you feel better now?