Beans & Franks

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
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A Comfort Food - Beans & Franks

a cousin of mac&cheese in the comfort food category is beans & franks.

I set about (re)-creating the dish I remembered as a kid, but in the process found a few flavor kicker-uppers that have replaced the old "open a can . . ." recipes of yore.

it goes:

one pound of canned baked beans
small can (8 oz by wt) tomato sauce
medium onion, medium diced
six strips of smoked bacon, diced to about half inch chunks
five aka half-pound hotdogs - sliced on the bias
1/4 to 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard

mention of brand names is not an endorsement nor am I "paid" to recommend them - it's for informational purposes - 'cause differ brands have different "tastes / flavors"

the beans: I used Bush's Maple Cured Bacon flavor - Bush's has many many different flavor profiles in beans - the Maple Cured Bacon is my preference. Campbell's Pork & Beans also works but does not seem to have the same depth of flavor as Bush's. tried adding real maple syrup... just never quite got as good as the Bush's.

start a slow heating of the beans in a heavy pot

the bacon: hardwood smoked
in a fry pan, a slow rendering

when the bacon is most of the way to crisp, add the diced onion.
the water in the onion will sweat out and prevent the pan from getting too hot / hot enough to crisp the bacon - so don't add onion too soon or you'll have soggy fatty bacon chunks.

when the onion has sweated down and the water has boiled off, add the sliced hot dogs

the hot dogs: we use Oscar Mayer "Classic" - there's a few zillion flavors in hot dogs now-a-days, so take your pick. when I was a kid, there was no such thing as a 'turkey hot dog' - or 'low fat' or 'all beef' or. . . , gosh, anything. there was hot dogs.

continue the pan fry until the hot dog slices have some brown on them - as if they had been grilled. it can be tricky to get the temp right so you get some grilling on the hot dogs but don't burn the onion/bacon. if you run into issues, dump out the whole thing into a bowl, fish out the hot dogs and put them back in the pan to brown/grill a bit.

I tried grilling the hot dog slices separately - they lacked the "steeped in onion & bacon fat" nuance - so I'd recommend at least starting them in the bacon/onion mix.

about the time the hot dogs are ready to go in for grilling/browning, the beans should be hot & thinned out - stir in the dry mustard, brown sugar and the tomato sauce.

the brown sugar:
volume: is "lightly packed"
dark is recommended.
quarter cup I think is minimum - half-cup produces a definitely sweet note.
depending on the baked beans you start with and you personal preferences, increase of decrease the sugar amount.

when the bacon/onion/dog mix is ready - dump it into the beans and mix.

you'll notice that the bean/bacon/onion/dog mix is a bit on the thin side.....
put it into a (approximate) 9x9 casserole dish, pop it into a 350'F oven for two - four hours.

here's the big secret:
about every 40-50 minutes you'll notice a "crust" has formed on the top of the mix.
bust up the crust and stir it into the mix - this is a "technique" issue I found that really makes a difference - those drier crusty chunks stirred down into the mix just whammy the tomato flavor profile.
 
We LOVE "Franks & Beans", but we do it with minimal hoopla. LOVE Bush's spicy "Grilling Beans", so use those as a base, slice in turkey franks, top with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese & run into the oven until melted & ooey gooey. Delicious!
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
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Great post, ChowderMan!

Thanks for reminding me that I love this stuff! I will put the ingredients on my shopping list!

Lee
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
to add a little different flavor, i grill my hot dogs very dark with bbq sauce then put in my beans...adds something
 
In fact, I just discovered that hubby bought a package of turkey franks the other day & they're in the fridge. And I just happen to have some "Grillin Beans" in the pantry. And shredded cheddar cheese. Hmmmmm - wonder what we'll have for dinner tonight. :)

(Oh, & sliced kielbasa (turkey or regular) works great here too!)
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I have them once in a while also. I use B&M baked beans and slice up some Hebrew National. I use a touch of BB-Q sauce, bit of mustard and diced sautéed onions with a touch of cumin.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
I am fairly certain a lot of people have different memories (g) of any given comfort food - so it's just a guideline / starting point / whatever.

it's never going to qualify for "t-h-e authentic franks and beans"
)gasp!(
so please, have at it!
 
K

Kimchee

Guest
They were the first thing I ever cooked all by myself, with
Mom's supervision of course!

We only got them when Dad was out of town.
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
This is so good but I don't make it very often. There are a few changes in the way I make it. Subs - I use B&M baked beans and a bit of ketchup instead of the sauce. Additions - a bit of moleasses, several grinds of red pepper flakes and a bit of liquid smoke.
 

Doc

Administrator
Staff member
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Well, we tried this recipe today. Didn't work out so good. We had double the ingredients all in the oven set at 350, that was to hot. DW was busy so I was stirring every 45 minutes to get the crust mixed in. I should have pulled em out at 2 1/2 hours. Even before the next 45 minute timer when off DW smelled something burning. Dangit. They were burnt bad. :hide: So ... looks like we are going out to dinner tonight.
 
OH MY GOD!!! I never noticed the "2 to 4 hour" bit in the recipe. I'd NEVER cook something like this that long. NEVER. Everything in the recipe is already cooked except for the bacon. There's no need to cook anything like this that long.

Chowderman - what the heck are you thinking??!!!
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
OH MY GOD!!! I never noticed the "2 to 4 hour" bit in the recipe. I'd NEVER cook something like this that long. NEVER. Everything in the recipe is already cooked except for the bacon. There's no need to cook anything like this that long.

Chowderman - what the heck are you thinking??!!!

then you should never try the recipe.
what's the problem?
damn, BreezyXxxxx - I wish I knew everything like you do.
you did not notice - the bacon was cooked before it went in with the beans.

the time in the oven varies by how juicy it is to start with, how much liquid the beans will further absorb, whether it's piping hot when it goes in or cooled or cold.

Doc - unfortunate mishap - sorry if Breezy forgot to warn you.
 

Doc

Administrator
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No problem Chowderman. Totally My fault. As you said:

....- so it's just a guideline / starting point / whatever.

.....so please, have at it!

DW laughed at me and said I should have turned down the temp on the third 45 minute stir. I noticed they were not as juicy. I'm dumb and learning about basic cooking thanks to DW and you all.

However, I did taste them and they were good, very good, when I could get around the burnt ones. LOL. :yum: Live and learn. Like I told DW, we will be trying them again.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
i haven't made these in ages. i keep meaning to, w/ 'iggle's market district natural-casing franks, & i wanna try those heinz beenz on the ethnic food aisles- plain, 1st, to see if they'd be good for this, & if not, i'll get bush's, too.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Doc -

there's a lot of education in making a mistake!

and making them on purpose is equally instructive. our youngest was struggling with beating egg whites - the old soft/stiff peaks thing - so one day I just tossed a couple egg whites in the KA to demonstrate - soft, med, stiff, dry, broken... now she knows when to stop (g)

she's doing pretty good - here's her Xmas pie:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63524661@N00/6583203349/in/set-72157628593477985
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
tell her she can send me a piece of that pie..oh heck she might as well send me the whole pie...i could eat it right now..:applause:

when i am not on the road working, i cook my chili in the oven for hours and hours at a time...same basic idea as the beans in the oven... my chili is loaded with all kinds of beans. turns out rather tasty..lol

when you cook beans(think boston baked bean in a bean pot) or chili in the oven, there is a richness to the dish that cooking on the stovetop cannot get.

Doc -

there's a lot of education in making a mistake!

and making them on purpose is equally instructive. our youngest was struggling with beating egg whites - the old soft/stiff peaks thing - so one day I just tossed a couple egg whites in the KA to demonstrate - soft, med, stiff, dry, broken... now she knows when to stop (g)

she's doing pretty good - here's her Xmas pie:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63524661@N00/6583203349/in/set-72157628593477985
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
we (well, i made 'em- Chef put me in charge of 'em) put them on (used dried ones, & made them from scratch.) cooked them overnight, from 9:30am to 6:30am. & they went over quite well.
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I use canned beans for my baked beans and mix in ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, onions and bacon. I cooked them in the oven for a long time...how long just depends upon how soupy they are. Jeff is right about the richness, you just can't get that on top of the stove.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
We call them "beanie weenies" and they're a family favorite.

My friend, Dylan, calls them Beanie Weenies, too. We served them with Fritos scoops, which was delicious and a fun way to eat them!

This is his recipe, which we had tonight - very similar to Chowderman's.

I cut it in half, but I wish I hadn't!

My roommate is going to make it in the crockpot with cocktail weiners, for her brother and his friends during football games.

She added shredded cheese on top, just before the broiler.

Lee

Dylan's Beanie Weenies

2 large cans of the Bush's baked beans
1 whole Green pepper
1 large onions
At least 3 strips of bacon
mustard
brown sugar
maple syrup
BBQ sauce

Fry about three pieces of bacon you have cut up then until crisp,then take the bacon out and saute the onions and green pepper you have diced up in the bacon grease. When they get soft I dump all that into my baked beans, that I have placed in a baking dish.


I squirt in a couple tablespoons mustard and a handful of brown sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 cup Maple syrup, and the same amount of barbecue sauce.

Put the bacon pieces back in. Mix it all up and then stick your wieners in it, so they are nestled in the beans, but their tops are uncovered. Bake at 350 till its all bubbly and the wieners are good and cooked - about 45 minutes or better. Turn the broiler on at the end for a minute to char the top of the wieners a little bit.. Just a minute though.

A must to go with is Fritos and Ice cold beer, and a football game.

 

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QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Dylan and I made more Beanie Weenies last night. I was too hungry to put them under the broiler, though!

This time, I left out the sweet stuff (the brown sugar and the maple syrup), but added more Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and green pepper.

Yummm!

And we watched the Patriots win!

Lee
 

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