Doesn’t it look gorgeous?
Looks like there’s got to be something special inside.
And after six hours, there had better be.
Here they are – the hearth-cooked beans. Well, most of them.
Here are some of the others that didn’t make it into that bowl:
Yeah. They’re burnt.
When we first took the lid off the bean pot and tasted some of the beans, we were both kind of surprised at how smoky the flavor was.
This is why.
Burnt beans will give the other beans a bit of a smoky flavor.
Here’s what I think happened. Or what I’m pretty darn sure happened.
I didn’t know the beans would cook so vigorously, or that so much water would boil off. So I didn’t check them very much at the beginning. And sure enough, water boiled off, and the beans on the side of the pot closest to the fire burned.
So, lesson learned, right?
The rest of the beans were fine, with a smooth, soft, creamy texture.
A little while later Bill made some barbecue sauce and started basting the ribs.
I’d have taken pictures, but I was working on my rug-braiding.
So here are the ribs, fresh from the fire:
Success! They look like ribs!
Smelled like ribs!
And, most important…
They tasted like ribs, too.
Everyone approved of our hearth cooking, although Julia, whose top front teeth aren’t completely in yet, had a hard time with the ribs. But that was a personal, technical issue and no reflection on the ribs.
Will we do this again? Spend the whole day tending the fire and checking water levels?
Definitely!
Wow, that meal looks so excellent!
Posted by: Jenn@The Leftover Queen | November 14, 2011 at 02:38 PM
I would like to try this! What kind of beans are used in canned "franks n beans"? i want to make a homemade version. Can you send me the hearth recipe please and any tips? I havent cooked in my fireplace before. Thank you :) Farida
Posted by: Farida | March 28, 2012 at 11:05 PM