Welcome to our ‘Pub Favourites’ series. These are all the classics we know and love, like these baked beans on toasted sourdough. Slowly cooked for 3+ hours until the beans are thick and caramelized. Serve on top of buttered sourdough and finish off with grated cheese. The ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 lbs of cannellini or navy beans, dry
- pinch of baking soda
- 7 strips of bacon, cut into chunks
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried mustard
- 3 tbsp vinegar (we used balsamic)
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
- olive oil
Method
- Prepare the beans the night before: Soak the beans in triple the amount of water. You want the water to be at least 1 inch above the beans. Cover with a lid and soak the beans overnight.
- The next day preheat the oven to 300°F, and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan, along with the sliced onions. Let the onions cook for about 2 minutes before adding in the garlic. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions begin to soften. Once done, transfer the oil, onions, and garlic into a bowl. Add in the sliced bacon to the pan and cook until browned. Add the onions and garlic back into the pan with the bacon.
- Drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Stir together with the bacon and onions. Add the tomato paste, brown sugar, smoked paprika, dried mustard, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and gochujang paste. Finally, add in the molasses along with the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together until well combined. Cover with water.
- Cook in the oven, covered, for 2.5 hours. Remove the lid and increase the temperature to 350°F. Cook for an additional 1 hour. In the last 30 minutes, remove the lid and let finish cooking.
- When ready, add more hot water as needed to loosen it up a bit. Serve on toasted buttered sourdough bread with grated cheese.
