Homemade Baked Beans Recipe (video)

[Saviolo]

When I was growing up in the 80's, my only real experience of "baked beans" was out of a can with a Heinz label on it. Overcooked, salty, somewhat mushy beans in a vaguely tomato-y gravy warmed up in a pot on the stove. One of those highly processed industrialized foods that it can be hard to imagine a homemade version of, because the mass-produced version is so ubiquitous. We decided we wanted to take a stab at it, so we started looking at recipes. Chef Caleb didn't like the recipes he found. Most of them called for ketchup, way too much sugar, and some of them included *cans of beans* anyway. So he made up his own version.

Navy beans are the most traditional for this kind of baked beans dish. Also, we use a highly concentrated tomato paste from a tube (it stays better longer that way!) but if you're using those little cans of tomato paste from Unico or whatever, this recipe will use the entire can, so you won't be left with the dregs of tomato paste in a can with some saran wrap on top (we've all been there!). The pork can be any number of things. We used this amazing hot smoked bacon from a local place, but you can use whatever you want. Roasted pork belly, store bacon, you can even chop up hot dogs into this if you want.

Also, if you're interested in supporting us and our food adventures, I've started a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/loveyourfood