- I didn't have white beans on hand so I used pintos. No pre-soaking, just sort and rinse.
- I made a half batch in a 4 quart, 180 degree slow cooker.
- Also chose to use white vinegar, no problem.
- I turned the cooker on and did not touch it for 12 hours. They weren't tender, after 15 hours I gave up and added them to a pot and finished cooking them on the stove for an hour. Maybe the difference in size between navy and pinto beans was the reason, or maybe this recipe is for the newer crock pots that cook hotter-not sure.
- When done I poured them into a cast iron skillet so they could keep warm on the grill.
Fab, Fair or Flop-the bottom line:
- Taste-This recipe makes a good, tasty, sweet basic baked bean. It never achieved the "syrupy" consistency they mention. It can be doctored up with any other spices/flavors you'd like, after they are done cooking I suggest a good shot of B-B-Q sauce and some hot sauce.
- Price-A bag of pintos was $1.12 at Walmart and I've seen them on sale at the supermarket as low as 79¢. Can't beat it for value.
- Method-Obviously it didn't work for me, I had to heat up the kitchen to finish them. I'll try navy beans or pre-soaking pintos between 6-8 hours, then cooking the beans for 8 hours next time. I think this recipe/method would work fine for the extra hot and humid days of July and August with a little pre-soaking. Also, I suggest you make them ahead of time just in case they need to cook a little longer.
- Grade=Fair-I will try this recipe one more time to see if I can make it Fab.
