Old-Timer's Beans

A camp instruction rather than a formula: it assumes a pot of beans already cooked and a cook who will taste as they go. The quantities are left to you, so the notes below fill in workable proportions and the order of operations that makes the difference.

• Render the bacon firstDice 4-6 oz of bacon and cook it slowly in the dry pot until the fat runs and the edges crisp, then add the onion to that fat. Bacon dropped raw into wet beans will poach rather than brown, and the dish loses the smoke and sweetness that is the whole point.
• ProportionsFor about 3-4 cups of beans (two 15-oz cans, or roughly 1 1/2 cups dried and cooked), 4-6 oz bacon and one large onion, diced, gives a workable balance. Scale the bacon up rather than down if the beans are bland.
• Canned beansDrain but do not rinse if you want body from the starchy liquid; rinse if the canning liquid tastes tinny. Pinto, navy or Great Northern all suit this treatment. Canned beans are already fully cooked, so they need only 15-20 minutes of gentle simmering to take on the bacon fat, and stirring should be minimal or they break up.
• Dried beansIf starting from dry, cook them fully soft before the bacon and onion go in. Acid (tomato, molasses, vinegar) added while the skins are still firm will keep them firm for a long time.
• LiquidKeep enough liquid to just cover the beans as they simmer, topping up with water, coffee or beer. The pot should end up loose, not soupy, and it thickens as it stands off the fire.
• Seasoning the original leaves outSalt to taste at the end, since bacon varies widely in cure. Black pepper, a spoonful of brown sugar or molasses, and a splash of vinegar or mustard at the finish are all in keeping with the style.
• Over a fireSet the pot at the edge of the coals rather than over flame; beans on the bottom scorch quickly and the burnt taste carries through the whole pot. A cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid holds heat evenly enough to be left mostly alone.
• YieldServes 4 as a side, or 2-3 as the main dish of a camp supper with bread.