Baked Beans & Corn Bread – Tennessee

Jayne:  I sometimes order a veggie platter from the Sides menu.  This is great stuff.  Green beans simmered with ham, squash casserole, mac and cheese (yes, it’s a vegetable), greens with ham or pork, and baked beans and cornbread.  I just wish banana pudding qualified as a fruit. 

In Tennessee, baked beans and cornbread are extra special.  And it’s no wonder why…#Bush’s beans (est. 1908 and now 55 million pounds of beans per year), #Lodge Cast Iron (1896) and the #Jack Daniels Distillery (1866 – the very first registered distillery in the U.S.) all make great product in the State.  In the spirit of “what grows together, goes together,” these two sides make great accompaniments to the Memphis (dry) ribs and Nashville “Hot” Chicken.  

Tennessee is a wide, east/west State with Memphis on Mississippi River in the southwest corner, Nashville in the center north, Chattanooga in the center south and Knoxville in the Appalachian east.  Historically, these very different terrains produced very different eating customs.  In the eastern hill country, people ate stews and roasted meats.  In the western low country, people ate more formally with multiple dishes, with cooking technique and ingredients coming up the Mississippi river from New Orleans. 

Corn, beans and squash were introduced to the English, Scotch-Irish and French settlers by the Native Americans and became an integral part of the cuisine.  The following two recipes reflect this influence in Tennessee and throughout the country. 

Bean Pot —

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs. oil or bacon drippings (save the crisped bacon – 4 slices)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced (or garlic powder)
• 2 medium onions, sliced into thin rings (or onion powder)
• 1 can pork & beans – drain off half the liquid
• 1 can red kidney beans – drain off half the liquid
• 1 can green, small lima’s – drain all liquid
• 2/3 – 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (to taste)
• ½ c. ketchup
• 2 tsp. mustard
• 1 Tbs. salt (I use less)
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire or A1 Sauce (optional)
• 1 shot of Jack Daniels whiskey

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon until crisp – crumble and set aside.
2. Saute onions and garlic in fat until soft, but not brown. 
3. Mix all ingredients well (including bacon). 
4. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish or bean pot. 
5. Bake at 350 deg. F. for 1 – 1 ¼ hour without a lid.
6. Stir twice in about 15 minutes and again after 45 minutes.
7. Let rest for about 15 minutes. 

Skillet Salt & Pepper Cornbread —

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. bacon grease or oil
• 1 ½ c. yellow cornmeal
• ½ c. flour
• ¼ c. sugar
• 2 t. baking powder
• 2 t. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 t. freshly ground pepper, plus more for top
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. well-shaken buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• Honey or maple butter (optional, for serving)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 deg. F.  Coat a 9 – 10-inch cast iron skillet with the bacon grease and place it in the oven to heat while you make the batter.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter and stir until just combined.  Do not overmix – batter will be lumpy.
3. Pour the batter into the very hot skillet and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean – about 25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and serve warm with butter.

Note: Some Southerners would never consider adding sugar to cornbread.  Many do.  I like to add some as it adds depth, but I don’t add enough for it to be sweet.  It shouldn’t taste like cake.  One quarter cup feels about right to me – 2 Tablespoons just isn’t enough.  This is a personal taste decision. 

***Thank you to my friend Kaye Michaels for her Bean Pot recipe, which I have adapted with the Jack Daniels (I’m sure she won’t mind), and Sara Foster for her Cornbread recipe from #Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen.