Alton Brown's Secret For The Most Delectable Baked Beans

Celebrity chef Alton Brown is known for his scientific approach to cooking, often pushing the envelope with unconventional ingredients or steps. His secret for the most delectable baked beans, however, is uncharacteristically traditional. On his website, Brown shares his recipe for Twice-Cooked Molasses Baked Beans, which upholds the traditional process for which it's named, using the stove and the oven to twice cook the dish.

Baked beans aren't the only type of twice-cooked bean recipe, of course. The Mexican classic, refried beans boil and fry pinto or black beans with seasonings and fat. This recipe for Szechuan green beans broils the green beans and then stir-fries them. Still, many baked bean recipes like these slow cooker baked beans streamline the cooking process by using a single round of cooking. Other recipes simply pour cans of beans and seasonings into a casserole dish and bake it. Brown's recipe, which he describes as a cross between pork and beans and Boston baked beans, creates a bean soup that first boils scratch-made beans in their soaking liquid and broth, then bakes the beans low and slow in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 8 hours.

While boiling and then baking baked beans is par for the course in most traditional recipes, Brown's choice to bake them at such a low temperature is unique. His recipe uses the stove to kickstart the cooking process, and the low and slow oven-simmer to develop the beans' flavor and maximize their tenderness.

While you can swap dried beans for canned beans like Bush's navy beans, making beans from dried has flavor and texture benefits. Long overnight soaks may not be necessary as long as your dried beans are fresh. In fact, many argue that soaking beans overnight depletes their flavor. If you simmer beans from dried, it usually only takes up to two hours to cook them, so they shouldn't need soaking if you're going to slowly bake them for up to 8 hours anyway. If your dried beans have been sitting in your pantry for a while and warrant a soak, try adding salt to the soaking liquid. A saltwater brine will result in ultra-creamy beans once you cook them.

Alton Brown's recipe for twice-cooked beans is extra flavorful thanks to the aromatics, sweeteners, and bacon he fries over the stove before adding soaked beans and broth. The bacon is a savory bomb that also provides the fat to fry the aromatics. Onions, cayenne, and jalapeños balance the savoriness of the bacon and beans with spice and heat. Finally, molasses, brown sugar, and tomato paste round out the dish with a burst of rich sweetness.

If you want to add a layer of tanginess, mustard is a classic baked bean ingredient and a great option. A shot of apple cider vinegar would also help balance the sweetness and spice of the other ingredients. Using this Dutch oven will make this recipe a true one-pot meal.