A few years ago, my opinion of baked beans changed forever when I tasted my friend Mory’s homemade baked beans with tamarind and smoked turkey. Up until then, I’d never liked them. I admit my experience was mostly limited to the canned variety—cloyingly sweet, with not nearly enough pork to suit me. But Mory’s were fantastic. They were not too sweet and were slightly sour from the tamarind, with lots of smoky shredded turkey for heft. They inspired me to develop my own life-altering baked bean recipes. I am happy to share them with you, as well as a few tricks I picked up along the way.

甜，浓郁甚至苦味的结合呈现出正确的风味平衡。如果您将甜味保持在检查中，而其他口味（敏捷的味道和苦味）都保持平衡，那么烤豆就会很美味。您添加到豆类中的额外成分使一切都不同。为了唐和亮度，我转向咖啡，硬苹果酒，格兰尼·史密斯苹果和雪利酒。为了获得甜味，我坚持使用传统的糖蜜，番茄酱，枫糖浆和红糖。

Add plenty of meat—preferably some kind of cured pork—for hearty baked beans that are full of rich flavor.The smokiness of real Spanish chorizo, thick-cut bacon, or ham hocks adds a whole new dimension of flavor as well as a satisfying meatiness. And the salty pork cuts through the starchiness of the beans beautifully.

My method for these recipes is straightforward and relatively hands-off; you can go about your business while the beans bake. After soaking the dried beans to begin softening their skins, I brown the pork and sauté the aromatics in the pork drippings. Then I add spices, a cooking liquid, and the beans. Sweet ingredients and acids, such as coffee, tomatoes, and sherry, affect the way beans cook, so I don’t add them until the beans are almost fully cooked. Once those ingredients are incorporated, I bake the beans uncovered so the cooking liquid can begin to reduce and intensify.

Time is a bean’s best friend.Beans are like sponges, ready to soak up lots of good flavor if you give them enough time. After baking them, I let the beans sit overnight to absorb all the different flavors I’ve added and to let their natural starches begin to thicken the sauce. Then I reheat the beans on the stovetop and simmer them until the sauce thickens and coats the beans nicely. Finally, I like to add an optional—but highly recommended—dash of cider vinegar, sherry, or bourbon for a burst of bright flavor.

Tips for better baked beans

• Soak for soft skins.Soaking dried beans overnight yields consistently tender cooked beans. If you’re rushed, though, the quick-soak method outlined in these recipes works well, too.
• Be gentle.To keep the beans’ skins intact so they hold their shape throughout the baking process, resist the temptation to stir too often. And during the final cooking stage, don’t try to rush things by boiling or simmering too vigorously.
• Taste five beans when checking for doneness.Beans cook at different rates, even in the same pot, so it’s best to try a few at a time. Test frequently, as cooking times vary.
• 要有耐心。烤豆像海绵一样起作用，因此让成品的豆子过夜以吸收尽可能多的风味。