Southern Baked Beans More Follow Up

I want to clarify a few things about my Southern baked beans follow up from Sunday.

The reason the beans took four hours to bake (really, simmer) is twofold: tardy briquette lighting by the cook and the presence of an acid. Sodium from the ham may have contributed as well.

The beans should've benefited from the long traditional baking that transforms the beans and sugars into richly glazed berries. Otherwise, you're simply eating another simmered bean dish.

PS--I found a recipe for honey-glazed baked (pinto) beans in a later edition of Joy of Cooking in a rare library visit yesterday. As a bonus, I'll post Joy of Cooking's instructions for campfire beans when I post the honey-glazed recipe. Campfire beans are buried in a cast iron kettle for four or more hours. I last blogged on this topic last March 13, 2005.