Baked Beans

Day 1: Prepare your Beans. (*1) Put the beans in a jar with enough water to cover and refrigerate. Drain before moving on.

Day 2: Put the softened beans and other ingredients in a crock pot.
Cook on low for about 4-6 hours, until the beans are very soft and flavorful. Check a few times to see if they need salt.

They should still be soupy at this point, if they are not, add water.

Transfer the beans to a baking dish and let cool. Cover with foil and refrigerate.

Day 3: Put the covered dish in a 300 F. degree oven for 1 hour.

Uncover and stir. Turn the heat up to 400 F.

Bake until the beans are desired consistency, 60 minutes-70 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will thicken some as they cool.

Store cooled beans in the refrigerator for a week in a sealed container. Reheat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat, adding water if needed.

Beanie Weenies:
Slice hot dogs or smoked sausage. Fry in a pan until browned, then stir into your finished beans.

Substitutions:

Dry beans: 1 15 oz. can of pork and beans, drained. Although if you are going to buy canned beans, you may as well buy baked beans.

Tomato sauce: ketchup, tomato paste and water, tomato puree, or BBQ sauce.

Brown sugar: 1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 1/2 tablespoon molasses, 1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup, or raw sugar.

Molasses: Maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar. Just keep in mind all of these are sweeter than molasses, so you may want to just omit it.

Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice.

Garlic powder: 2 minced garlic cloves or 1 tsp. garlic salt.