Eight-Hour Beans
Eight-Hour Beans + Hot Water Cornbread
These Eight-Hour Beans are built slowly from pantry items and a little patience: dried beans, bacon, leeks, garlic, tomato paste, and smoke.
The beans cook until tender, the liquor thickens, and the whole pot turns into the kind of supper that waits for you. Finish with apple cider vinegar and chili flakes, and serve with hot water cornbread.
As the pot simmers, the beans thicken their own liquor, turning simple ingredients into a rich, smoky, deeply savory dish. .
Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.
Eight-Hour Beans
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
For the beans
1 pound (450 g) dried beans, such as pinto, navy, cannellini, borlotti, or great northern
¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda, for soaking
6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225 g) bacon, cut into lardons
½ large onion, finely diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced and well washed
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 strip lemon peel, optional
6 cups (1.4 liters) water or stock, plus more as needed
Salt and black pepper
Apple cider vinegar, to finish
Chili flakes, to finish
To serve
Hot water cornbread
Soak the beans
Put the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them generously with cold water. Add the baking soda and stir.
Soak overnight. If your kitchen is warm, or you are soaking the beans longer than overnight, put the bowl in the fridge.
The next day, drain the beans and rinse them well.
Method
Put a heavy pot over medium heat and add the bacon lardons. Cook slowly, stirring now and then, until the bacon has rendered its fat and started to crisp at the edges.
You want enough fat in the pot to sweat the onions and leeks. If the bacon is very lean and the pot looks dry, add a small spoonful of lard, bacon fat, or neutral oil.
Add the diced onion to the bacon and fat. Cook gently until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the thinly sliced leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook until the leeks collapse, soften, and turn silky, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not rush them. This is where the sweetness builds.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens slightly and starts to cling to the bottom of the pot.
Add the smoked paprika, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir them through the bacon, leeks, and tomato paste.
Add the soaked and rinsed beans. Pour in the water or stock. The liquid should cover the beans by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Add the lemon peel now, if using.
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Do not boil it hard. You want a steady, quiet roll.
Lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and cook until the beans are tender. Depending on the beans, this may take 2 to 4 hours on the stove. Add more water as needed to keep the beans just covered.
For a true eight-hour version, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours, or cook in a low oven at around 300°F (150°C) until tender.
When the beans are soft, remove the bay leaf and lemon peel, if used. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Be careful with the salt early on because the bacon will bring some of its own.
Finish with apple cider vinegar and chili flakes. Start with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar, taste, and add more if the pot needs lifting.
The beans are ready when they are tender all the way through, and the liquor is thick enough to drag cornbread through.
Serve hot with hot water cornbread or crusty bread.
Larder Notes
The baking soda in the soak helps the beans cook tender, especially if they are older or your water is hard. Drain and rinse them well before cooking.
Leeks can hold grit between their layers. Slice them first, then wash them thoroughly in a bowl of cold water. Lift them out rather than pouring the water off, so the grit stays behind.
Salt depends on the bacon. Taste near the end before adding much.
These beans improve as they sit. Leftovers are excellent the next day, especially with more cornbread.
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