Deconstructed Instant Pot Baked Beans

 

Instant Pot baked beans, no Dutch Oven needed 

I occasionally make this Baked Beans recipe , and I mostly make it for a week's worth of desserts now, but I go about it slightly differently.

I apologize for the sacrilege of not using a dutch oven in my approach. 

I wanted to cut down on the amount of grease in the beans (vs the linked recipe above).   My way requires less stirring too, and it only takes about 30 minutes of active cooking work.   90 minutes cook time total, assuming you time everything well.    It can even be quicker if you setup the beans to cook while you're at work.    Then you can get everything done in about 30 minutes after you get home.   . 

You'll need the following

• a non-stick fry pan big enough for 1 cup of diced onions.  Medium to large so moisture can release.
• a regular size cookie/baking sheet with a decent raised edge (1/2 inch minimum) 
• an oven big enough for the cookie sheet 
• aluminum foil large enough to completely cover the cookie sheet including the raised edges 
• a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot.
• a tablespoon and 1 cup size measuring cup 
• disposable paper towels or a container for the bacon grease after it cools  

We're going to cook the dried beans in the Instant Pot, fry the onions in the pan, bake the bacon first, and then crisp up the entire baked beans mix using the same foil covered baking sheet at the very end. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups/ 16oz / 1 pound of dried navy beans
• 2-4 bay leafs, salt, baking soda (for the instant pot bean cooking)
• 8 oz bacon  
• 1 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 

 Cooking Instructions

1. Cook 2 cups of dried navy beans per my instant pot page.    It'll take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes, start to finish.    
• You can set this part up before going to work, program delayed start so it's ready when you get home.   Reduce the bean cook time 5-10 minutes because they'll be soaking for a few hours first. 
2. After setting up the instant pot,  oven bake at least 8oz bacon (half a pound) on an aluminum foil covered cooking sheet at 400F for 20 minutes, no convection, middle rack position. Bake until crispy.   
• Lay each piece of bacon out flat on the foil, with space between the slices.  You'll need slightly less time for thin bacon, more for thick.   Bake until the white fatty part of the bacon has fully rendered.
3. Start warming up a large, teflon fry pay on stove.  Medium to Medium Low Heat   
4.  5-10 minutes after starting the bacon, remove the baking sheet briefly to harvest a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease.  I usually tilt the sheet into the frying pan after making a funnel with a corner using the foil.   
5. Use the 2-3 tbsp of bacon grease to saute the 1 cup of onions until golden brown, don't burn the onions, reduce heat if needed, transfer the cooked onions to a small bowl.      Using the grease to saute adds a ton of flavor to the bake beans later,  please don't use regular cooking oil.
6. When the bacon is crispy, remove baking sheet from the oven, transfer bacon to paper towel covered plate, pat bacon dry with more paper towels.   Leave the foil on cookie sheet, let it cool 5-10 minutes.   Then either transfer the grease to a container for future cooking,  or use paper towel to absorb all the grease and toss towels in trash.   Leave oven running at 400F  
7. Wait for instant pot to finish and for all the pressure to naturally release, open lid. Remove bay leafs with a fork.   Over a 4 cup pyrex or shatter proof bowl strain the beans capturing some of the aqua faba bean water.  
8. Add drained, cooked beans back to instant pot bowl, or a regular big mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix all the other ingredients
• caramelized onions
• crumbled bacon, I crumble it by hand, by folding and squeezing the paper towel around it. (get your aggression out!).   IMHO if you have to cut it up, you didn't crisp it long enough.
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider
• add some aqua faba if mix seems dry.  Should be slightly wet/soupy before final baking step 
9. Dump and scrape out the bean mix and spread to an even thin layer on the foil covered bacon baking sheet,  put sheet back in the oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes to caramelize.    
10. Remove sheet from the oven and Enjoy!   Transfer to a pretty dish if you want, but it will be scorching hot.   It'll cool faster if you leave it on the sheet. for 10-15 minutes 

My variation makes the recipe healthier.   Still sweet and salty, but way less greasy.   Infused with a wonderful bacon flavor without the congealed grease in the baked beans after it cools in the fridge.   I usually eat about 2/3 cup cold after lunch and dinner for dessert lately.  It satisfies my sweet craving, but it's high fiber and filling.