Flashback Friday ~ Tante Suzie's Pork and Beans

       Tanta Suzie, Feb. 25th 1912 - Jan.25, 1990          Ron Doerksen, her son carefully studies the pot.

Flashback Friday brings us back to April 7, 2010 when I posted Tanta Suzie's bean recipe.

This past summer we had the joy of bringing back an old family tradition and with the help of many cousins we recreated a contemporary version of the 'Schmidt Reunion.' 

The original bean pot was found and we resurrected Tanta Suzie's bean recipe once again.  

Here's a little story about this bean pot, which I remember as a small little girl. Every summer the annual Schmidt gathering would meet at Berthusen Park, just across the line, close to Lynden, WA. I looked forward to this annual reunion and it became one of my summer highlights. I always remembered this bean pot with it's rich smoked flavors.  I was excited when my mother gave me a replica of this pot as a gift in my early years.
 "The trick was," Tante Suzie said, "they need to be baked in a bean pot." She has since passed on to eternity, but the memory has never faded. It was such a privilege to relive the family reunion and listen to the stories from long ago and appreciate the heritage that they have shared with many generations.  After several phone calls you now have the corrected version of the original bean recipe.  I always double this recipe. 

Bean Recipe

• 1 pound navy beans (2 cups)
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. soda

1. Soak beans over night.  Drain and rinse thoroughly.
2. Add fresh water and 1 tsp. soda and simmer for an hour. Drain and rinse thoroughly
3. Add the beans to the pot or you can also use a slow cooker.

Add

• 1/2 pound sliced bacon or salt pork
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 2 C. tomato juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• farmer sausage (optional)

1. Heat oven to 275°
2. Disperse the meat evenly throughout the whole pot.
3. Combine syrup, molasses sugar mustard, onion and dry ingredients into a bowl, mixing thoroughly.
4. Pour mixture over beans and stir well.
5. Cover with 2 Cups tomato juice.
6. Bake slowly with cover on for 5-6 hours stirring hourly.
7. If you feel the beans are drying out add more tomato juice.
8. Add sliced farmer sausage half way through the cooking. (optional)

Long and slow baking is the secret to good baked beans.
It might look like extra work, but the taste is worth it. 

The legacy lives on...

But wait...Tanta Suzie's son, Ron also has created his own version.  I love it just as much and when he gave me his recipe, it was a bit of this and a carton of this and a pinch of this with no exact amounts.
This is my version of Ron's recipe.

Ron's Recipe

• 4 cups navy beans
• 1 cup 'fancy' molasses
• 1 tbsp. black strap molasses
• 3 tbsp dried mustard
• 1 medium sized shallot (onion)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 cups tomato juice
• 1 lean pork hock

1. Prepare beans using the same method above.
2. Remove all meat off the pork hock dicing it finely.   It's important to remove all the gristle from the meat.  This takes some time, but it creates  that smokey flavor.
3. Combine molasses, mustard, onions, brown sugar, tomato juice and mix well.
4. Add the pork to the beans and cover with sauce mixture.
5. This recipe tends to be a bit more soupier than thick. 
6. Cook in a slow cooker at low for 9 hours.

Ron truly calls this his 'labor of love' when he serves up this dish for his family and guests.
The legacy lives on!

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