Labor Day II

TO go along with ribs, the NF Dad likes sweet coleslaw, buttered corn on the cob, mustard potato salad, a micro-brew IPA, and BBQ beans. If the idea of sweet, smoky, BBQ beans with a vinegar punch strikes you as something worthy of a side, then you might to try this recipe.

If you pressure cook pork ribs, you'll produce a generous amount of gelatin. Some of this should find its way into the rib's BBQ sauce. The rest should be mixed in with beans. It can also be frozen and used as a secret ingredient in pea soup later in the year.

What you'll need: (note; Dad cooks on taste, so measurements are guesstimates at best)

2 andouille sausages (The NF Parents prefer Amylu Chicken Andouille)
1 28 oz. can of pork and beans (see note 1 below), strained
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. onion powder (to taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (to taste)
1/2 tsp. paprika (to taste)
1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke (see note 2 below)
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder (optional)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup pork gelatin
Brown sugar, honey, molasses (optional, see note 3 below)

Skillet, 9" x 9" glass/ceramic casserole dish, convection oven, serving spoon, tongs, knife, sieve.

Here's the prep:
Slice the sausage into uniform slices about 1/4" thick. Brown in skillet. Combine with strained beans, BBQ sauce, gelatin, liquid smoke, garlic, paprika and onion powder in casserole. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Stir and taste. Add additional onion, garlic, liquid smoke as necessary. Slowly add one of, or all three, brown sugar, honey, molasses and apple cider vinegar in small quantities until you get the balance of sweet and savory you prefer. Add cayenne if using. Stir thoroughly.

Return to oven and continue to bake stirring every fifteen minutes. Since nothing needs "cooking," you are really just heating and evaporating the excess moisture. Bake time will depend on liquidity; the more viscous the longer the bake time. As the bean sauce thickens, decrease stirring periods to every ten, then every five minutes.

Your dish is done when it has reached a viscosity you like, the surface has caramelized, but before the beans begin to harden. The NF Dad likes a viscosity thick enough that the beans slide slowly off the spoon in a unitary mass when tilted at 45 degrees.

BBQ Beans -w- Andouille sausage and shredded pork.
Yeah, its a fancy version of beany-weiney.

Note 1: the style of canned beans purchased will affect the final dish. Dad always buys on price (cheap skate) as these beans tend to be bland allowing him to season to his liking.

Note 2: Different liquid smoke products, even the ones produced by the same company, have markedly different flavors. Some are very bitter, like hickory. Others are much less so, like mesquite. You should start with a small amount and build it up to your preference. Much like cayenne, you can always add more to the dish, but you cannot remove it once it is in there. Better yet, before you mix anything into the beans, remove and separate a sample, add just a splash of the liquid smoke, and evaluate.

Note 3: Each of these brings a distinct sweetness profile to the dish. You'll need to experiment to find the combination you prefer. If you haven't used molasses before, warm a tablespoon and try it before adding to the dish. Some people (like NF Dad) use it sparingly.

Also, if your spices are more than a year old, you'll need to buy new spices or add lots more to the dish to get the same effect.

Alternative ideas: Some like to add bacon. NF Dad likes to add shredded pork, and has substituted cubed and browned beef stew meat  instead of sausage. If you do use beef instead of pork, try a beef BBQ sauce instead like this BBQ sauce. You can also mince fresh onion instead of using powder.You might not want to use fresh garlic, because simmering it for long periods makes it turn bitter. NF Mom likes to substitute Splenda for sweetening the beans.