JIMMER Beans – with new Wood Oven Version

[Xabia Jim]

This is a favorite at our gatherings....

Ingredients and method:

I start with a wide variety of canned beans and separate into different batches depending on how long I want them to cook:

1) Hearty Beans go in first:

• Dark Red Kidney Beans
• Light Red Kidney Beans
• Garbanzos Beans or Chickpeas
• Red Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Black Beans

2) More Delicate Beans (soft or overcooked) go in later once the mixture begins to simmer:

• Navy Beans
• Canelli Beans
• Butter Beans
• Baby Lima Beans


3) The sauce includes:

• The tomato base includes tomato juice, tomato puree, diced tomatoes and/or tomato paste. (probably 48 ounces or more)
• Other liquid includes wine and soup stock, as needed.
• ½ cup of BBQ sauce or some liquid smoke (the WFO may accomplish the BBQ flavor)
• Sautéed diced onions (2), diced garlic (½ bulb or more) and diced green peppers (1 or 2) (I’ve used cans of green chili’s instead of the peppers too)
• Dashes of worcestershire and hot sauces to your taste
• Some dried or fresh spices…..chives, celery seed, black pepper, basil, oregano, coriander, chili pepper flakes…..
• 2 T or more of Honey or brown sugar, to your tastes
• Apple cider vinegar (¼ cup or more to taste)
• Better than Bouillon Bases, 1 t or each: beef and vegetable (that’s where I get my salt and help give it some extra depth)



4) Meat Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 lbs Bacon, thick sliced, cut in one inch pieces
• 1 to 2 lbs Burger (ground beef, turkey, venison, rabbit…usually only one at a time!)
• Sausage (optional)



The normal preparation process:

The beans are drained and rinsed with fresh water in a collander. I start with the more hearty beans and add the more delicate beans after the cooking has begun. I place them in a large pan, crock pot or roaster with the sauce ingredients and start heating as I do the meat. I think one of the base flavors of this recipe is browned ....but not until it’s too crispy. Drain well. Sautee ground meat and crumble. (I had some leftover sausages from the grill once so I sliced them up for the beans. Nice option. Bratwurst, Chorizo, whatever!) The onions, garlic and peppers usually follow the meat sautee.
(I usually make large double batches of these beans because they freeze well for later use.) You do want it to simmer well but don’t be too aggressive with the boiling! Add the other beans once it’s about half way done or heated up pretty well.

For the wood fired oven, I started the meat mixture and onion/garlic/pepper sautee on the stove as usual but finished cooking in the oven instead of the crock pot for an hour or three depending on the heat….and just stirred in the other delicate beans once it starts to boil. This will work well in a slow oven, just might want some smoke from the coals for flavor. You might also need a cover or more liquid in a hotter oven if they dry out too much.

(Note on dried beans: I’m starting to try more dried beans to reduce the unwanted salt & preservatives, so those who do well with cooking dried beans can substitute for the cans. Canned beans give a consistent result but don’t overcook them or you’ll have mush, especially if you’re going to be heating up and serving them later. This is a recipe that improves when reheated in a slow oven and would work well in a slow wood oven)

(Note on Liquid: It often seems tough to stir at first. The mixture needs enough liquid to heat up and be able to stir it gently without breaking the beans too much. That’s why I’ve used the tomato juice and/or red wine and/or soup stock. As it cooks it will thicken by some reduction and the broken beans, or you can thicken some with potato flakes later. I’ve usually got it covered in a roaster and just simmering for a couple of hours.)

Other Items I’ve used include lentils, black eyed peas, peas, even refried beans (good thickener!)

This is a very flexible dish you can adjust to individual tastes. The bean mixture is very tasty. Use more of what you like. (Some have called this chili but with all the different beans, bacon and little or no cumin, it’s quite different) The original recipe called for ketchup but I used the same ingredients tomatoes, garlic, spices, honey and vinegar. I don’t do mushrooms but those that do would probably like them too!

Eat your beans for good health!

[CanuckJim]

XJ,

Sounds good for the heart. I'll try it. For a similar dish I've used a 16 bean soup mix (dry) from Hamm's, Goya or Trader Joe's (but the TJ's has barley in it, which can get too thick). I always quietly dispose of any included "flavor packets," and do my own spicing. My normal procedure is to put lots of water in the pot to cover the beans by more than an inch, then bring to the boil on the stove top, then let sit, partially covered, until the next day (this removes, as Julia Child once said, the offending elements in beans). Then I drain and rinse the beans, and proceed much as you do, but for the liquid I commonly use wine and stock for more body, then add toms, etc., and LOTS of mushrooms.

When I make this in the brick oven, I normally start out with the dish covered, then remove it to reduce to the consistency I want. Works, but it's best in a slow oven.

Jim

[Xabia Jim]

Some pics of the before and after.

[Xabia Jim]

I just made my second batch of Jimmer Beans this year using ground lamb for the meat....it was a nice variation. (Lamb is about half the price of beef here and very tasty.) I'm also using various dried beans now and that's working out fine.

....eat beans, the magical fruit.....

[Acoma]

That looks SUPERB! Once the oven is cured, this will be tried indeed.

[gjbingham]

XJim,
Thanks for the recipe. I use ground lamb in about 75% of my dishes that call for ground beef. I've grown to dislike the tasteless gristley texture of the beef. The great American hamburger is now a lamburger. The lamb is a bit greasy though. Gotta pour off the fat after cooking.

[Xabia Jim]

George, when I can I use Venison instead of beef...but I'm not able to bring one home every year.

The lamb here is fairly lean...nice free range lamb!

[Acoma]

George, now you raising lambs?

[gjbingham]

Always tempting Robert. If I had a bit more space, I surely would. Right now I'm thinking about chickens. The goat is out after reading Jeff's description of the impending destruction.

[Xabia Jim]

me gusta mucho