Experiment No. 089 — Southern-Style Sweet & Smoky Baked Beans
Category
Sides → Southern Classics Lab
Scope
Create nostalgic, sweet–smoky baked beans built around bacon, brown sugar, and molasses, with multiple cooking pathways that change texture and sweetness.
Objective
Show how different cooking environments — pressure cooker, oven bake, or cast-iron simmer — affect thickness, caramelization, and smokiness while maintaining the same flavor foundation.
Yield
6 to 8 servings as a side (about 1/2 cup each), or 4 servings as a main with cornbread or rice.
Prep and Cook Time
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes (pressure cooker)
Cook: 1–2 hours (oven)
Cook: about 1 hour (cast iron)
Total: varies by chosen method
Formula — Weight, Volume, Ratio %
Weight ensures accuracy. Volume keeps the recipe accessible. Ratio % clarifies the proportion each ingredient contributes to sweetness, body, smoke, and tang so you can scale up or adjust intensity.
Base Ingredients
Canned navy beans, drained and rinsed: 800 g, 4 cups, 46%
Bacon (pork, beef, mushroom, or coconut): 90 g, 4–5 slices, 5%
Onion, diced: 150 g, 1 large, 9%
Garlic, minced: 6 g, 2 cloves, <1%
Tomato paste: 60 g, 1/4 cup, 3%
Brown sugar: 60 g, 1/4 cup, 3%
Molasses (or maple syrup): 30 g, 2 tablespoons, 2%
Mustard (yellow or Dijon): 15 g, 1 tablespoon, 1%
Apple cider vinegar: 15 g, 1 tablespoon, 1%
Worcestershire (or vegan substitute): 15 g, 1 tablespoon, 1%
Stock (vegetable or chicken): 240 g, 1 cup, 14%
Paprika, black pepper, cayenne: about 1 tablespoon combined, <1%
Total mixture weight: approximately 1,500–1,600 g depending on bacon and optional additions.
Procedure
1. Flavor Base
Cook bacon in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and leave 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet.
Add onion and sauté until golden. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes until darkened and aromatic.
2. Sauce Build
Stir in brown sugar, molasses, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Cook until glossy.
Add beans and stock. Stir until fully coated and integrated.
3. Choose a Method
Pressure Cooker (fastest, softest texture)
Transfer mixture to pressure cooker.
Cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes; allow natural release.
Produces very soft beans with deep flavor integration.
Cast-Iron Simmer (smokiest flavor)
Keep mixture in cast iron.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Produces caramelized edges and smoky depth.
Oven Bake (thickest, most traditional)
Transfer to a Dutch oven or cast iron.
Cover and bake at 325°F (160°C) for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove lid for last 20 minutes to create sticky, browned top.
4. Finish
Stir the crisp bacon back in (or plant-based bacon).
Adjust balance with vinegar for tang or sugar/molasses for sweetness.
Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Variant Paths
Sweet & Smoky Classic
Swap/add: brown sugar and molasses with pork bacon
Produces the signature nostalgic flavor.
Maple Beans
Swap/add: maple syrup instead of molasses
Gives a lighter, smooth sweetness.
Vegan Beans
Swap/add: mushroom or coconut bacon and vegan Worcestershire
Still smoky and rich with completely plant-based components.
Spicy Kick
Swap/add: 1 teaspoon fermented hot sauce or cayenne
Adds a layered heat profile.
Cornbread Combo
Serve with: honey jalapeño cornbread
Creates a full Southern comfort meal.
Field Data and Observations
Brown sugar at 1/4 cup per 4 cups beans provides the signature sweet balance.
Pressure cooking yields the softest beans; oven baking yields the thickest; cast iron yields the smokiest flavor.
Bacon type determines smoke profile but uses the same structural role across versions.
Molasses darkens color and deepens caramelization.
Allowing the mixture to rest thickens the sauce naturally.
