This recipe for beef and boston baked beans is from the February 2021 BBC Good Food magazine. I had been wanting to make a boston baked beans recipe for a while, so when I saw this one with slow cooked beef shin, I decided this was the one I wanted to make. I was intrigued as to how it would turn out, as I would have expected chopped tomatoes or passata to be one of the ingredients, however, there only is 2 tbsp of tomato puree. The end result is absolutely delicious – the beans are so tender, just like traditional baked beans, and so is the beef shin. The flavour is a mix of sweet and savoury, balanced perfectly!
I made the full recipe (for the 2 of us)…so there was plenty to have for dinner one night with baked potatoes and coleslaw, along with leftovers to have for lunch on toast.
This beef and boston baked beans dish is a definite winner for us, that will most definitely be made again…and again!
Tips
- I used tinned cannellini beans – 2 x 400g tins drained, so didn’t need to soak them overnight. Instead, I drained and rinsed the tinned beans and then put them in a pan and covered them with fresh cold water as per step 1. Once the water was boiling, I reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked them for 8 minutes. I then followed the rest of the instructions as per the original recipe.
- I thought I had smoked bacon lardons…turns out I didn’t, so I used smoked streaky bacon instead. I just chopped it up before adding it `at step 2. It turned out to be a good substitute.
- The recipe is easily halved, or you can freeze any leftovers if you make the full recipe. Either defrost in the fridge overnight and take out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking, or, leave at room temperature for 6 hours. Reheat in a saucepan, covered with a lid, on a medium heat, for 20 to 25 minutes until hot – stir frequently.
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Ingredients
- 300g dried cannellini beans (see Tips)
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g beef shin, cut into 4cm chunks
- 120g smoked lardons (see Tips)
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 100g treacle
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- pinch of ground cloves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- baked potatoes or bread, and coleslaw, to serve
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Instructions
- Tip the beans into a large pan, then pour in enough water to cover the beans by 5cm. Add the bay and leave to soak overnight (see Tips). The next day, drain the beans, return to the pan and pour in enough fresh water to cover the beans by 3cm. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the beans are tender (you may need to top up the water slightly as they cook).
- Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large casserole or ovenproof saucepan, and fry the beef for 5 minutes over a high heat until evenly browned (you’ll need to do this in a couple of batches). Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the lardons and onion to the pan, and cook over a medium to high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are turning golden and the lardons are starting to crisp.
- Stir the beef back into the pan. Add the beans along with the cooking liquid, and stir in the garlic, treacle, tomato purée, mustard powder and cloves. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then top up with some water so the beans are covered by 2 to 3cm. Cover and bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and return to the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce rich. Once cooled, the beans can be frozen for up to three months (see Tips). Serve with baked potatoes or bread, and coleslaw.
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Beef and Boston Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 300g dried cannellini beans see Notes
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g beef shin cut into 4cm chunks
- 120g smoked lardons see Notes
- 1 large onion cut into wedges
- 2 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 100g treacle
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- pinch of ground cloves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- baked potatoes or bread, and coleslaw to serve
Instructions
- Tip the beans into a large pan, then pour in enough water to cover the beans by 5cm. Add the bay and leave to soak overnight (see Notes). The next day, drain the beans, return to the pan and pour in enough fresh water to cover the beans by 3cm. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the beans are tender (you may need to top up the water slightly as they cook).
- Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large casserole or ovenproof saucepan, and fry the beef for 5 minutes over a high heat until evenly browned (you’ll need to do this in a couple of batches). Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the lardons and onion to the pan, and cook over a medium to high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are turning golden and the lardons are starting to crisp.
- Stir the beef back into the pan. Add the beans along with the cooking liquid, and stir in the garlic, treacle, tomato purée, mustard powder and cloves. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then top up with some water so the beans are covered by 2 to 3cm. Cover and bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and return to the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce rich. Once cooled, the beans can be frozen for up to three months (see Notes). 1. Serve with baked potatoes or bread, and coleslaw.
Notes
- I used tinned cannellini beans – 2 x 400g tins drained, so didn’t need to soak them overnight. Instead, I drained and rinsed the tinned beans and then put them in a pan and covered them with fresh cold water as per step 1. Once the water was boiling, I reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked them for 8 minutes. I then followed the rest of the instructions as per the original recipe.
- I thought I had smoked bacon lardons…turns out I didn’t, so I used smoked streaky bacon instead. I just chopped it up before adding it at step 2. It turned out to be a good substitute.
- The recipe is easily halved, or you can freeze any leftovers if you make the full recipe. Either defrost in the fridge overnight and take out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking, or, leave at room temperature for 6 hours. Reheat in a saucepan, covered with a lid, on a medium heat, for 20 to 25 minutes until hot – stir frequently.
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