Tante Suzie's Pork and Beans

Feb.25th, 1912 - Jan.25th, 1990

Awhile back I posted a Pork N Beans Recipe...and received many wonderful comments. However, I received one more exceptional comment in my email box, which blew me away. One of our followers identified herself, telling me that she was the DIL of my Tante Suzie. She sent me the original recipe and gave permissions to post it. I am so honored.

Here's a little story about this bean pot....it will always remain a memory. I remember this pot as a small little girl, somewhere between the ages of 6-10. Every summer the annual Schmidt gathering would meet at Berthusan Park, just across the line, close to Lynden WA. I looked forward to this annual event...Do any of you remember that park? They had swings and merry go rounds.

But no one will ever forget Tante Susie's home-made pork and beans. She would always arrive with her home-made Pork N Beans in exactly the same kind of bean pot. I wanted one like this, and somewhere through the years, my mother gifted me a similar pot. They were the best and we would eagerly wait in line for a stash. "The trick was," Tante Suzie said, "They need to be baked in a bean pot." She has passed on to eternity, but the memory has never faded. Every so often I like to surprise my family with this dish.

Meanwhile I made this recipe this past weekend...and brought it to the Schmidt family for Easter. Someone asked me, "Are the beans dark like Tante Suzie's?" "Yes, they are...the key?" "Use tomato juice instead of water."
The Schmidt Boys dug into those beans. First of all...they could not believe that this was from Tante Suzie's recipe. They were blown away...they agreed that the pot looked authentic, except that her's was much bigger. They smelled them, they tasted them, and dug in for more.
Thank-you for this wonderful recipe from the Doerksen Family.

Tante Suzie's Pork & Beans

• 2 lbs. navy beans (about 5 cups) I could not find navy beans, but Great Northern are the substitute.
  
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp salt

Soak over night. Drain and rinse.
Add 1 tsp soda and simmer for an hour. Drain and rinse.

Add:

1. 1/2 pound sliced bacon or salt pork and mix between the beans, bottom, middle and top. Layer the bacon at the bottom and spread evenly through the dish.
   
2. 1/4 c. maple syrup
3. 1/4 c. molasses
4. 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
5. 1 large onion chopped
6. 1 tsp. dry mustard
7. 2 C. tomato juice
8. 1 bay leaf
9. 1 clove garlic minced.
   

Cover with 2 Cups tomato juice and bake with cover on for 5-6 hours in slow oven at 275 degrees. I added a bit more tomato juice in the last hour, just so they would not dry out.
Long and slow baking is the secret to good baked beans.

It might look like extra work, but it's all done in stages....the taste is worth it.

Add a few fresh vegetables and freshly baked home-made buns.
The legacy lives on...