Take your beans on toast to the next level with our recipe for smoky baked beans. Our Fresh Sage & Spicy Tomato Sauce adds a fresh herb twist to this British classic. Once you make your own homemade baked beans, you’ll never go back to the tinned stuff. Just a small amount of organisation is required: you need to soak your beans the night before, and allow a good couple hours for cooking. However the, actual hands-on prep is minimal. If you can chop an onion, you can make this recipe!
For added smokiness, you can finish your beans on a bbq - just toss a few smoked wood chips on the charcoal, add your beans, and close the lid for about 20 minutes.
Serve your homemade baked beans on toast, or as part of a barbecue. It’s particularly good as a side dish to accompany American barbecue staples such as burgers, cole slaw, griddled sweetcorn, brisket, or pulled pork.
Smoky Baked Beans with Sage and Chilli
400g dried beans (white beans or pinto beans), soaked overnight in cold water
75ml rapeseed oil
200g smoked streaky bacon, chopped
200g onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
150g soft dark brown sugar
200ml red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Drain the beans and put them in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil Cook for approximately one hour, or until just soft. Remove from the heat and drain.
In a large saucepan, heat the rapeseed oil over a medium heat. Add the streaky bacon and fry until crisp. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion is soft. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar and 500ml water. Bring to the boil and then add the soaked beans. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1½-2 hours, or until you have a thick sauce with soft tender beans
Season the beans with salt and pepper. Serve with toast or as part of a barbecue spread.
