Beans play an important part in barbecue culture. Hard to find a pit stop that doesn't serve some sort of beans.
Canned beans are quick and easy. Drain, rinse, and they are ready to eat. But many people prefer dried beans. Dried beans are much cheaper and taste slightly better. They just take a bit more effort and a lot more time. As Steve Santo of the highly regarded bean grower Rancho Gordo likes to say "The big advantage of dried beans is the liquid they make. Canned beans need to be washed, whereas real beans come with free soup!" If you wish to use dried beans, it's pretty easy.
Dump dried beans on the counter and make sure there are no pebbles or other foreign matter in them. Give them a quick rinse in cold water. In a bowl, cover the beans with three times their volume of water, and soak at least 6 hours. You can soak up to 12 hours if you wish. The longer dried beans soak, the less they need to cook. Beans soaked for 6 hours may need to cook 3-4 hours. Beans soaked for 12 hours may be done in 2 hours or so. If you don't have time to soak beans, you can cook with dried beans, they'll just take longer to get tender, perhaps 5-6 hours depending on the type and size of the bean.
Some folks think that you should discard the soaking water to reduce flatulence, but I have read reliable sources saying that this doesn't work, and that throwing out the liquid wastes nutrients. Santo says we should use the liquid, and that's good enough for me.
After the beans have been added to the recipe, boil for about 5 minutes, cut back on the heat, and let the beans simmer for about 2 hours or until they get soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Don't boil beans for more than a few minutes or else they will turn to mush. Simmer them.
Dried beans cook even faster in a pressure cooker. Rinse, soak, and cook 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. Then open the lid and cook another 20 minutes or more until the beans are done.
Approximate equivalents
Here are some useful measurements. They can vary significantly depending on the type of beans, the size of the beans, or the brand of the canner.
Dried beans absorb liquid when cooked so increase the liquid in the recipe when you cook with dried beans.
Dried beans expand to about 2.5 times their original volume when soaked and 3.5 times their original volume when cooked.
1 can of beans = 15 ounces undrained = about 10 ounces drained = 1/4 pound dried beans.
1 pound dried beans = about 2 cups dried beans = about 5 cups soaked beans = about 7 cups cooked beans = 4 cans drained beans.
Tell Meathead what you think or ask him a question
Agree? Disagree? Suggestions? Questions? Or discuss among yourselves. I read all these posts. Please remember to respect the opinions of others and please don't post promotional info.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, smoked turkey, steak, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn.
About Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards. Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
About links on this site. Other than clearly marked ads, links and recommendations on this site are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first.
Meathead's Personal Privacy Promise.I promise to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and I promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more details of my privacy promise.
These recommendations are not ads. They are unsolicited endorsements.
GrillGrates Take Your Grill Into the Infrared Zone
GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper.
They sit on top of your current grill's grates. The hard anodized aircraft grade aluminum rail tops are flat and wide and make perfect dark crunchy grill marks. The base superheats yet eliminates hot spots and blocks flareups. This is the same concept behind the expensive new infrared grills.
Juices drip in the valleys between the rails and are vaporized and penetrate the meat enhancing flavor. I throw wood between the rails and they impart a delicate smoke flavor. I have made my best steaks and burgers ever with Grill Grates. This is a really great new product! Click here to read more and for ordering info.
The Smokenator
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to get steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more and for ordering info.
This link takes you to Amazon.com and tags anything you buy with my affiliate code so I get a small referral fee. It works on anything from grills to diapers and it has zero impact on the price you pay. Low prices, fast delivery (often free), good refund policies, and often there is no sales tax, are the best reasons to buy from Amazon.com, but clicking on that link before you shop helps me devote more time and money to you. Thanks!
Help Meathead pay for this web site. With a $25 donation you'll get a 100% cotton, brushed twill, adjustable, low profile cap with the patch sewn on. 
or the 
from Amazon.
