Bernie's Baked Beans Bernard Cockerham 08/11/2022

2 C Dried beans (whatever tickles your fancy. Red, Navy Black, Pinto, etc. You can even combine different beans.)
2 t Salt
2 t Baking soda
Enough water to cover beans, plus 2 inches more water.

Combine everything and bring to a rolling boil. Stir, set aside, and cover. Let the beans sit for one hour.

Part Two:

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

1 C ketchup
1/4 C Sriracha Ketchup
1 t Mustard
2 T Liquid mesquite smoke flavor
1/4 t Salt
1/4 t Celery salt
1/4 t Onion powder
1/4 t Garlic powder
1/4 t Black pepper
1/4 t Celery seed
1/2 t Ground ginger
1/4 t Thyme
1/4 t Coriander
1/4 t Oregano
1 C Light brown sugar
1/2 C Dark brown sugar
1/2 C Molasses
1 t Vinegar
8 C Water

Rinse the beans and the pot the beans were soaking in. Bring the beans and 4 C of water to a boil; boil for 15 minutes and set aside for one minute. Drain the beans, KEEP THE BEAN WATER, place the beans in a deep oven-safe pan.

Put the bean water to the original pot, add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then set aside.

Put 2 C of bean water with the beans and put them in the oven. Set timer for one hour.

Stir beans in the pan, stir the bean mixture, add 1 C of the water to the pan, and set the timer for another hour. Repeat until all of the bean mixture is used up.

This is where you can experiment: Adding crumbled bacon, minced ham, minced onions, and over flavors. Stir in additional flavors.

Set timer for 2 hours. Done!

If the beans are still liquidy, stir and leave in the oven for 30 more minutes. Repeat until beans are the desired consistency.