Famous Bean Hole Beans
Saturday night was always famous for Baked Bean night served with steamed brown bread or hot Johnny Cake. Summer time is the best time for bean hole beans.
2 lbs State of Maine Jacobs Cattle dry beans (preferably from Green Thumb Farms in Fryeburg, Maine)
½ lb. salt pork (not fat back)
½ to ¾ cup sugar
½ cup molasses
½ cup ketchup
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 onion
1 tbsp vinegar
Soak the beans the night before you plan to cook. Cover them with cold water and pick out any that look bad or continue to float to the top. Some people will parboil them in the morning. Parboil until the skins crack when blown upon. I find that parboiling make the beans mushy and therefore I do not parboil. Each person has their own taste when it comes to beans.
Dig a hole in the ground at least 3 feet deep and 2 feet wide, larger if your kettle takes more space. Get a special iron kettle with legs and a cover that fits down over the top of the kettle at least 2 inches, with slots at the two opposite sides to allow the kettle handle to be raised.
The chances are that your first beans will not be as tasty as later cooking until after the hole is “burned out” and used a few times. Place a flat rock at the bottom of the hole; add any old scrap iron or good size rocks. Lacking these, the woodsmen used old logging chains. Fill the hole with hardwood and keep a fire burning for a half a day (this is called the “burning out” process).
After good coals are formed, the hole is ready for cooking the beans. Slice the onion and salt pork and place on the bottom of the kettle. Drain and rinse the beans, place them in the pot and add enough water to barley cover the beans. Combine the sugar, molasses, ketchup, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar together with one pint (two cups) of boiling water. Pour over the beans. Place the cover on the beans.
Now remove all the scrap iron, rocks and chains from the hole. Lower the kettle of beans into the hold. Surround the kettle with the hot coals, rocks, scrap iron, chains and fill the hole with earth. Pack the earth tightly and tread on it to seal the hole. One tiny opening could allow air to get in and result in burned beans. The following day, dig off the earth, pull out the kettle and enjoy old fashion bean hole beans.
We have also tried cooking them on a fire pit such as this. They suck up too much water and are not as good as cooking them in a hole. We just wanted to try it and see how they came out.
NOTE: This is for the adventurous at heart. If you feel the task of preparation inhibits your appetite for your own homemade bean hole beans, take a drive to Maine or any old New England town during the summer time months. Look for highway signs that say “BEAN HOLE BEANS”. Many churches have Saturday night dinners and several of the Old Home Days feature them.
© Crackerberries 2013
