Okay, so I’ve been craving those old-fashioned baked beans lately, the kind that just melt in your mouth. I stumbled upon this recipe called “Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans,” and figured I’d give it a shot in my slow cooker. Let me tell you, it was a bit of an adventure!
Getting Started
First things first, I gathered all the ingredients. We’re talking about a bunch of stuff: dried navy beans, bacon, onion, molasses, brown sugar, mustard… the whole nine yards. I soaked the beans overnight like the recipe said, just dumped them in a big bowl with plenty of water.
Cooking the Bacon and Onions
The next morning, I drained the beans and got to work on the bacon. I chopped it up and fried it in a pan until it was nice and crispy. Then, I tossed in the chopped onion and cooked it until it was soft. The smell was already amazing!
Mixing Everything Together
Now came the fun part. I dumped the soaked beans, cooked bacon and onions, and all the other ingredients into my slow cooker. Gave it a good stir to make sure everything was mixed well. It looked like a beautiful mess, I tell you.
The Long Wait
I set the slow cooker to low and then… I waited. And waited. The recipe said 6-8 hours, so I figured I had plenty of time to get other stuff done. But let me tell you, the aroma that started filling my house was making it real hard to focus!
Checking on the Beans
After about 6 hours, I couldn’t resist any longer and peeked into the slow cooker. The beans were still pretty runny, not like the thick, saucy beans I was dreaming of. I was a little disappointed, but I figured they just needed more time.
More Waiting…
So, I let them cook for another couple of hours. I kept checking on them every now and then, stirring them a bit and hoping for the best.
Finally Done!
After about 8 or 9 hours total, I finally decided they were done. The sauce had thickened up a bit, but it still wasn’t quite as thick as I had hoped. But you know what? They smelled incredible, and I was starving!
The Taste Test
I scooped out a big bowl of those beans and dug in. They were pretty darn good! Maybe not exactly like Grandma Brown’s, and a little runnier than I prefer, but still full of flavor. The bacon, the molasses, the brown sugar… it all came together nicely.
All in all, it was a fun experiment. I probably won’t win any awards for my baked beans, but hey, I enjoyed the process and the end result was definitely tasty. I might tweak the recipe a bit next time, maybe cook them a little longer, but for a first try, I’m pretty happy with how they turned out!
- Lesson one: Be patient.
- Lesson two: Don’t be afraid to make changes the next time.
- Lesson three: Enjoy your meal.
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