Mike Keys Baked Beans Recipes

OLD FASHIONED BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Place the dried beans in a pot of water covered by a few inches of water and let soak overnight. Drain the beans, place them back in the pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour, then drain, reserving the liquid. See NOTE.
• In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot fry the bacon until crispy then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Stir in the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaf.Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved bean water and the beans.Bring everything to a simmer for a minute or two to heat it up. In the meantime preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Transfer the Dutch oven with the lid on to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, removing the lid during the last 20-30 minutes to help the sauce thicken. NOTE: If at any point during the cooking process too much liquid evaporates and the beans get dry, add a little more of the reserved bean water. The beans themselves can vary from batch to batch and you may end up either needing to add more liquid if the beans are too dry or you may need to bake the beans longer with the lid off if there is too much liquid. Adjust as needed.Add more salt the pepper to taste.Serve immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• SLOW COOKER METHOD: Follow steps 1 and 2 and then pour everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until the beans are tender. Open the lid for the last 30 minutes or longer until the sauce has thickened. If the beans are too thick at any point and too much liquid has evaporated, stir in a little extra water.

THE BEST BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika and toast, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, molasses, bourbon, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
• Add the beans and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. (If the beans are still slightly firm, continue cooking, stirring every 45 minutes and adding more water if necessary to just cover.)
• Once the beans are tender, uncover and increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until the beans are thick and browned, about 1 more hour. (Again, if the beans need more time, continue cooking, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary.) Remove from the oven and thin with water if necessary.

MIKE KEY'S BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together except the bacon. Mix thoroughly.
• 2. Turn into a lightly greased 13x9x2" baking pan. Lay the raw bacon strips on top of the beans.
• 3. Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 1 hour, uncovered. Stir several times to blend flavors.
• 4. Here is Michael Key, Dianna's husband, who makes these wonderful baked beans.

EASY BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until bubbly.

MIKE'S BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• The night before you want to serve the baked beans, carefully sort through the pkgs. of dry beans for small stones.
• Soak the beans in a large pot of water overnight. The beans will swell to at least twice their size, so make sure there is enough water in the pot to keep the beans underwater.
• The next day, drain the beans, refill the pot with water, and boil the beans until they are tender and not in the least chewy.
• While the beans are cooking, dice the bacon and place into another pot to cook. Cook until crisp, and drain all but 2T of the fat.
• Dice the onions and add to the pot with the bacon fat. Stir in the crisp bacon and and cook until the onions are carmelized, making sure to stir frequently so the bacon doesn't stick and burn.
• When the beans are tender, drain off all the water, return them to the pot and add the bacon and onions. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Cut the kielbasa into thin coins and and stir into the beans.
• Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray, pour in the beans, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minute to one hour.