This section contains the canon of American bean dishes, always found accompanying local versions of barbecue. Begin by reading The Zen of Beans to learn about how to handle dried beans and canned beans.

Bourbon BBQ Baked Beans. Three ways to make this classic soooo much better than the stuff from the can.

Hoppin John. Hoppin' John (shown at right) is a bean, rice, and pork dish popular in coastal South Carolina and Georgia. It probably originated with black slaves from the Caribbean brought in through Charleston around which there were large rice plantations. It is still very popular among the Gullah on the Carolina coastal islands.

Grannies Texas Beans. During hard times, beans have kept many Texans alive. For more than a few, the bean pot contained simply beans, salt, pepper, and maybe a little pork fat or bacon. You can go crazy with additions, but this is the classic, simple, home style recipe. When you visit classic Texas pitstops, beans are almost always on the menu, and outsiders, particularly Yankees, are often surprised to discover that they are simple and not sweet.

New Orleans Red Beans & Rice. In New Orleans (pronounced NOR-leens), Sunday is traditionally ham night, and on Monday, wash day, the leftover ham and the ham bone are used to make Red Beans and Rice, a traditional Creole classic main dish that can be prepped quickly and needs several hours to simmer. It has been thus forever.

Boston Baked Beans. They don't call it Beantown for naught. For it was in Boston that the notion of mixing dried beans with molasses was concieved and still reaches the peak of perfection.