Instructions: *You pick the kind and size beans (1 cup raw beans, cooked yield about 2 cups cooked beans)

Pick through the beans, remove any trash and rinse beans with cold water.

Place beans in a pot 2 or 3 quarts of cold water. Do NOT add salt - Makes them hard and they wont absorb the water. Do NOT add baking soda. Soak beans overnight.

When ready to cook, drain off the water, rinse beans again with cold water and drain well. Cook beans in a large Dutch Oven or roasting pot you can also bake in and for which you also have an ovenproof lid.

Cover beans with 5 or 6 cups of water. Do NOT add salt yet. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low. Cover and let beans cook 1 or 2 hours (Cooking time depends on the beans). After 1 hour, add 1 or 2 teaspoons table salt and test beans for doneness. Put a few beans in a large spoon and blow hard on them, the skin will separate from or lift off the beans when they are done. They also should be very soft and VERY tender. Watch beans while cooking, so that they dont run low on water, dry out and scorch or burn. However, when beans are done and tender, allow water to reduce in preparation for baking them.

While the beans are cooking, prepare:
5 or 6 strips smoked bacon or "salt pork," fried crisp, crumbled and drained, with fat from frying reserved

1/2 to 1 cup Vidalia or other sweet type onion, peeled, chopped small

1/2 to 1 sweet red or green bell pepper, cored and chopped small (OPTIONAL)

2 or 3 ribs fresh celery, broken in pieces, stringy part removed (pull it out) and discarded, celery chopped small -

Cook Raw Vegetables: Heat 2 Tablespoons butter or bacon drippings in a medium frying pan over low heat. Add chopped onion aal) and saute over low heat until onions are somewhat translucent, but NOT BROWN. Add celery and cook for 1 or 2 minutes longer while stirring. Add more bacon drippings as needed. Add 1 small can Tomato paste (optional) and stir in well, allowing tomato paste to caramelize or change color. Add 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar. Stir in well.

Preheat Oven to 325 Degrees F.

Beans should be done and very tender and liquid in them should be reduced.

ADD the cooked onion, peppers (optional), celery, tomato paste and brown sugar mixture to the beans. Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stirring in well. Taste test beans and add seasoning as desired. Some people add up to a total amount of 1/2 cup bacon drippings. Add tomato catsup or a bit of Worcestershire sauce, if desired.

Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour. If dish is not thickened enough, add about 2 Tablespoons Instant Potatoes and stir in. Stir in the fried bacon or salt pork and serve. Serve hot.

Serve with Tomato Catsup, Worcestershire Sauce and Louisiana Hot Sauce (New Iberia, LA) to be added in drops by individuals at the tables as desired.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.