Sam Sifton Baked Beans Recipes

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Pick through the beans for stones, rinse them thoroughly and soak in water overnight. (Leave soaking until ready to cook; you'll need the water.)
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place a Dutch oven, 5-quart size or larger, over low heat. Add the salt pork or bacon and fry until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Raise heat to medium and stir in the onion. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the beans to the pan along with enough of the soaking liquid to cover them by 1/2 inch, adding fresh water if needed. Add the garlic cloves, molasses or maple syrup, ketchup, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon pepper and the thyme branch and bay leaf, if using. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and put in oven.
• Check the liquid level in the pot every hour or so, and add hot water as needed to barely cover the beans. Cook until beans are very soft but not falling apart, 2 to 3 hours. Remove from oven. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then taste a bean and some liquid, adding more salt, pepper or vinegar, if you like. Serve, or cool completely and reheat.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken: Place chicken parts in a large saucepan with onion, garlic and salt, and cover with water. Heat pan over high heat until liquid comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool, reserving stock for another use. Using your fingers or two forks, shred meat from chicken and reserve, discarding skin and bones. (Alternatively, shred meat from leftover or store-bought roast chicken and set aside.)
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 375, and make the salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, serranos and cilantro in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it out a little. Season with salt to taste.
• Prepare the tortillas: In medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don't have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.
• Assemble the enchiladas: Use a ladle to put about 1/2 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of shredded chicken into each tortilla with a teaspoon or so of salsa verde and place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle salsa verde over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with about half the crumbled cheese.
• Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Dot with crema, sprinkle with remaining cheese and, if using, chopped onion, then serve immediately.

BBQ BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Sweet BBQ Pit Sauce: In a saucepan, combine the dry ingredients and mix well to break up any lumps. Add ketchup, melted butter, water, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer over low heat. Continue to simmer, stirring the entire time until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. (Keeping the heat low helps prevent the butter from separating and the sugar from burning.)
• Sauce is done when it thinly coats a spoon and has reduced by about ⅓. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. (It will keep for months, thanks to the vinegar.) Makes about 3 cups of Sweet BBQ Pit Sauce.
• Prepare the vegetables and beef: Trim onion and pepper, then cut into chunks. Dice using a vegetable chopper, or use a knife to small dice (¼-inch pieces). Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and pepper until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add ground beef, stir to break up meat, and continue cooking until meat is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes. Drain fat from skillet and set ground beef mixture aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, add ground beef mixture and Sweet BBQ Pit Sauce to the drained beans; stir to combine. Place in a 13x9-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until brown and bubbly, 20-30 minutes. (Alternatively, a thermometer placed into the center of the beans should register 160 F.)
• Remove dish from oven and remove foil. Stir and serve. Note: This is a great dish to make ahead of time. Vegetable-beef mixture can be cooked and refrigerated up to two days in advance. On the day of serving, simply mix bean ingredients (Pitmaster Jones calls this a "bean set") and bake as directed. Since you're reheating meat, use a digital thermometer to make sure the beans reach 160-165 F for safe consumption.

TOFU AND GREEN BEANS WITH CHILE CRISP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a baking dish or casserole, whisk together the chile crisp, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, scallions and cilantro.
• Add the tofu slices to the dish, and coat them with the sauce, then allow to marinate for as long as it takes to heat the oven and trim the green beans.
• Add the green beans to a large sheet pan, then drizzle the neutral oil on top and toss to coat. Slide the green beans to the sides of the pan, and arrange the slices of tofu in an even layer in the center of the pan. Pour remaining marinade over the tofu, and place in oven.
• Roast until the green beans start to blister, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately with rice and extra chile crisp on the side.

JAMES BEARD'S BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, soak the beans in 2 quarts of water for 6 hours. Drain the beans and put them in a large pot. Add the salt and enough cool water to cover 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are just barely tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain well.
• Bring another pot of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In the bottom of a large casserole with a tight-fitting lid, place the peeled onion -- yes, whole -- and spareribs (or baby-back ribs). Spread the beans on top. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar (or molasses), mustard and black pepper and add this to the beans and pork. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover the beans, put the lid on and bake, occasionally adding more boiling water to keep the beans covered, until they are tender but not falling apart, 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the casserole from the oven. Season the beans with salt. Pull the meat from the ribs. Discard the bones and excess fat and stir the meat back into the beans. With the lid off, return the casserole to the oven and let the beans finish cooking, uncovered and without additional water, until the sauce has thickened and is nicely caramelized on top, about 45 minutes more.

PEANUT BUTTER-GLAZED SALMON AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, combine green beans, scallions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat, then spread in an even layer.
• Prepare the peanut butter glaze: In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil and 1 tablespoon water. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk until smooth.
• Rub salmon with the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil and season with salt. Arrange salmon on top of beans and spoon half of the peanut butter glaze on top of the fish. Roast for 5 minutes, then spoon over the remaining glaze. Roast until salmon is cooked to medium and beans are crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes more, depending on thickness.
• Divide salmon and beans among serving plates. Top with peanuts and serve with lemon wedges.