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Homemade Baked Beans. Once you've tasted these, you will never buy a tin again.
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5 from 2 votes

Homemade Baked Beans

Homemade baked beans are a world away from anything you can buy in a tin. Make them just once and I promise you will never buy baked beans again
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time3 hrs
Total Time3 hrs 5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Keyword: baked beans with smoked ham hock, homemade baked beans
Servings: 1 very large pot
Calories:
Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas

Ingredients

For soaking the beans

  • 500 g dried haricot or navy beans
  • 1 teaspoon whey or yoghurt

For making the baked beans

  • 1 large smoked ham hock
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil or ghee
  • 2 large onions thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves whole
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon dark muscovado sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 750 ml (3 cups) tomato passata (tomato puree)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) water
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika optional - vegetarian version only

Instructions

To soak the beans

  • The night before you wish to make the baked beans, place the dried beans in a large bowl. Add the yoghurt or whey, and cover the beans with at least three times the amount of water as beans.
  • Add the yoghurt or whey, and cover the beans with at least three times the amount of water as beans.
  • Allow to sit for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight.

To cook the beans.

  • Drain the beans and rinse them thoroughly.
  • Place the beans in a large saucepan, and cover with at least three times the amount of water as there are beans.
  • Bring the pot to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer the beans in a large pot for approximately 1 hour, or until the beans are soft.
  • Drain the beans and set aside.

To make the baked beans.

  • Whilst the beans are cooking, heat the oil in a large oven-proof pot with a lid.
  • Add the onions to the pot, and stir to cover the onions with oil.
  • Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the onions to slowly cook for around 45 minutes. Stir the pot from time to time to prevent the onions catching on the bottom. When ready the onions should be soft and golden in colour.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 170C (150C fan forced).
  • Add the mustard, molasses, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and cloves to the onions, and stir to combine. If making the vegetarian version, add the smoked paprika at this stage.
  • Stir in the tomato passata and water, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
  • Gently stir in the cooked beans. If using the ham hock, add this to the pot and gently push the hock to the bottom of the pot so that it is covered by liquid.
  • Cover the pot, and place in the oven for approximately two hours, or until the liquid in the pot has thickened, and the meat on the hock (if using) can be easily pulled from the bone. [See Note 5 below]
  • Turn the oven off, and remove the hock from the beans.
  • Shred the meat from the hock and gently stir the shredded meat back into the beans.
  • Taste and adjust the seasonings if required.
  • Serve with well buttered toast.

Notes

  1. If you are using dried beans, this recipe needs to be started the night before. For a vegetarian version, omit the ham hock and use smoked paprika instead.
  2. The navy/haricot beans must be soft before they are added to the tomato sauce, as they will not soften further in the oven.
  3. Both the cooked beans and the cooked baked beans can be kept for up to three days in the fridge. If you wish to keep the baked beans longer, divide the beans into meal size portions and freeze.
  4. If making the vegetarian version, the beans may be ready sooner. Vegetarian beans are ready when the sauce has thickened nicely.
  5. The meat version of these beans are ready when the meat can easily be pulled from the ham hock. Check the beans occasionally during the cooking time, and if they seem dry, add some more water to continue the cooking process.
The Shortcut Version: If you don't wish to cook the beans, use 3 x 400g tins of drained and rinsed cannellini beans in place of the dried beans. The onions can be cooked as detailed above, or can be replaced with 1/2 cup caramelised onions. Warm the onions in the pot, then continue as detailed in the recipe above.