Beans with Brisket? - Need Recipe

[OTB]

So my first brisket was a success, so I have been charged with making another one this weekend.  I plan on purchasing it tomorrow (Friday) morning and rubbing it down so it is ready for the smoker on Sat evening, then eat for Sunday dinner.

I have read that people put a pan of beans under the meat to catch the drippings while the meat cooks.  This sounds like a very good idea, and would let the beans cook low and slow overnight.

I looked at the recipe site, but didn't find a recipe that people use.  Any suggestions? 

I was thinking of Alton Browns baked beans recipe, but was thinking it might dry out overnight (not being covered)

[watchdog56]

Made these and they were excellent;

May 8 2010. Made beans along with prime rib. Put in foil pan on rack under prime rib.
6-8 strips of bacon cut into 1/2 squares
1/2 medium onion,diced
1/2 bell pepper,diced
1-55 ounce can of Bush's original Baked beans
1-8 ounce can of pineapple chunks,drained
1 cup brown sugar,packed
1 cup ketchup
1/2 TBsp dry ground mustard

Saute bacon in fry pan until crispy,remove and saute onion,bell pepper until tender. In a large
mixing bowl combine beans,pineapple,brown sugar,ketchup and dry mustard. Stir in bacon pieces and
vegetables. Pour into pan and mix. If it looks dry add more ketchup 1/4 cup at time. PLace in smoker
for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Temp must reach 160 or place in oven and bake for 1 hour. Beans were excellent.

[Caneyscud]

Not as sweet, but full of flavor!  As a DM2, can't have that much sweet. 

One big can of good baked beans - not the institutional size, but the smaller can
One can of 'no-bean' chili - don't need more beans!
one can of drained, diced tomatoes
2 - 4 tablespoons of dehydrated minced onions depending on how runny the beans are
Some sauted green pepper diced
Squirt of CYM
Couple of handfuls of pre-cooked, diced bacon (your can buy it in a package at Sams - or diced up BBQ
A bit of your rub to taste or a bit of your sauce to taste --- or both
Some beef base - teaspoon or two - optional
A couple of teaspoons of instant coffee
A shot of whiskey or some beer.
Depending on who I'm feeding I'll sometimes add some diced jalapenos or some cayenne or both

Put all in a pot and heat thoroughly until onions are rehydrated.

[ArnieM]

I used the recipe from watchdog.  I cut down the quantity some.  Everyone loved 'em and wanted to take some home.  I should have made the full recipe.  :-\

[OTB]

Has anyone tried using dried beans instead of canned beans? 

The Alton Brown recipe calls for 8 hours of cooking so I was thinking of combining his recipe of:
    *  1 pound dried Great Northern beans
    * 1 pound bacon, chopped
    * 1 onion, chopped
    * 2 jalapenos, chopped
    * 1/4 cup tomato paste
    * 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
    * 1/4 cup molasses
    * Vegetable broth
    * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    * 1 teaspoon black pepper
    * 2 teaspoons kosher salt


Soak the beans overnight or at least all afternoon.  Then during the evening when I am ready to put in my brisket for it's overnight cook, combine all ingredients and add extra liquid, then put on rack below brisket uncovered and let cook all night with brisket so juices drip into pan, and pull out in morning.

I am thinking with this long of cooking that I probably don't even need to soak the dried beans overnight, but just for several hours.

Has anyone done something similar?  Or am I just going to end up with burned greasy beans?

[classicrockgriller]

I think I would set my clock for sometime during the nite to check on them.

8 to 10 hours in the OBS you may have dried beans.

Recipe sounds good.

If you put your brisket on late, you could add the beans in the morning.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

We do a lot of beans in this house, mostly variations on casoulet.  The standard is dried beans into a large pot of boiling, unsalted water, return to boil and boil for 2-min's, cover and remove from heat, let sit for 1 hour, drain, then  proceed.  From there they get simmered with some veggies and some meat for flavor for ~ 2 hours, then combined with other precooked meats and baked for several hours.  In the Bradley with a brisket cooking will be very slow, I doubt you ever get a simmer.  An 8 hour cook feels about right to me as a starter, but as a warning I have never tried it that low.  If I were going to try it I would use the 1 hour hot soak I mentioned previously, then add the goodies a la Alton Brown and cook away, checking them after 4-6 hours.  If they get as tender as you like you can always pull them.  Also appreciate that with a pan of beans beneath the brisket you brisket will cook a good bit slower.

A final comment about cooking beans - there is the popular notion that adding salt before the beans are tender leads to a hard skin.  If the salt is kept in reasonable moderation early (and you need to consider the salt in any stock, broth or added meats, etc.), I haven't found that to be a problem.  But high acid additions such as tomatoes early definitely leaves the skins tough, while alkaline additions have the opposite effect and can give a very mushy result.  I favor moderate slat early and save the tomatoes, vinegar, ketchup, etc. for nearer the end, after the beans have become tender.