By John Willoughby
- Total Time
- About 10 hours, mostly unattended
- Rating
- 4(63)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe is a project that can be time- and labor-intensive. You need to dig a hole in your yard and build a fire in that hole to cook the beans. An important note: Failing to dig the hole, and using your oven instead, will result in beans that lack bona fides but are 98 percent as good as the ones that guy cooked in a hole in his yard. This recipe will take about 3 hours plus soaking time for the oven method.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 servings
- 2pounds dried beans of your choice (soldier, pea, Jacob’s Cattle, great northern, yellow eye, etc.)
- 3onions, thinly sliced
- ¾cup molasses
- ½cup maple syrup
- 2tablespoons dry mustard
- 2tablespoons kosher salt
- 1tablespoon black pepper
- 1pound salt pork, sliced into pieces about 2 inches by ½ inch
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
458 calories; 31 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 1028 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Soak beans overnight in water to cover or quick-soak: Put beans in a large pot, add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
Step
2
If you don’t already have a bean hole, dig a hole about half again as large as whatever pot you plan to cook the beans in. (The key is that there be 6 inches between the top of the hole and the top of the pot.) Build a fire in the hole using about 10 pieces of cord wood. When the fire is burning well, add 10 softball-size rocks, then continue to burn until the wood is reduced to embers. You should have a bed of embers 2 to 3 inches deep.
Step
3
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans and put them into a 6-quart Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot along with all remaining ingredients except the salt pork. Stir well to combine. Lay the salt pork slices on top of the beans, then add water to cover by about an inch. Bring just to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Step
4
Carefully remove the rocks from the bean hole. Put the pot into the hole on top of the embers, cover it with a triple layer of heavy-duty foil, then put the rocks back into the hole around and on top of the pot. Fill in the hole with dirt, covering the pot. Come back 8 hours later, remove the pot from the hole and serve the beans.
Tip
- OVEN METHOD: Follow Steps 1 and 3 above, then transfer the pot to a 350-degree oven and bake until the beans are tender, 2½ to 3 hours. Check beans every half-hour or so after the first hour, adding water as needed if all the water has been absorbed.
Ratings
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Cooking Notes
Peter C
Safety note if you're going to use the fire pit method be aware that river rocks may contain trapped water which can explode, violently. Google rocks that are safe for a fire pit if you're going the pit route.
Victoria
This is insane!
Anne
Incredibly good, but did not take 3 hours, and the beans were a little watery. Suggest leaving the pot open the last half hour if too much liquid.
Mary
We have done this many times without the rocks. Just use the wood or charcoal. The point is to have the heat surrounding the pot. A camping Dutch oven with legs and a rimmed lid is helpful for this.
Don
This brings back a memory from Boy Scouts. The state council used to hold an annual bean hole bake competition between the troops from around the state. I have no idea what our troop’s recipe included (I know we didn’t win that year’s competition). What I do remember is how much fun the whole thing was. While the beans were cooking it started snowing. Before you knew it, about 100 kids faced off in a huge snowball fight. It was a fantastic day.
Justin Seitz
Does the ten hours stated in the recipe take into account the bean grave I have to dig? Asking for a friend.
Mary
We have done this many times without the rocks. Just use the wood or charcoal. The point is to have the heat surrounding the pot. A camping Dutch oven with legs and a rimmed lid is helpful for this.
Maura
I made it in a large Le Creuset pot in the oven and subbed a pound of bacon for the salt pork. It was fantastic.
John
The comment on using "safe" rocks is important. The description in the recipe sounds like river rocks, but don't go to your nearest stream, creek, rill, or kill for your rocks. Another thing...."cordwood." The standard definition of a cord of wood is a pile of split log pieces, ten feet long, four feet high and two feet high. The definition suggests each piece is 2 feet long. In reality, they can be shorter than that. Still, "10 pieces cordwood" is not very specific.
Rena
Not sure what standard you're using for the definition of a cord of wood. The measurements I learned are 8' X 4' X 4' for a total of 128 cubic feet of wood. Perhaps you're referring to a "face cord"?In any case, I agree that "10 pieces of cordwood" isn't helpful without some kind of measurement of length is included. We cut our pieces to about 18" long. Any longer and they won't fit in the stove.
Anne
Incredibly good, but did not take 3 hours, and the beans were a little watery. Suggest leaving the pot open the last half hour if too much liquid.
Victoria
This is insane!
Teresa
While the lovely bean hole pictured appears neat and orderly, I see no earth for shoveling over the pot. So is that part unnecessary?
Peter C
Safety note if you're going to use the fire pit method be aware that river rocks may contain trapped water which can explode, violently. Google rocks that are safe for a fire pit if you're going the pit route.
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