barbecue faves from scratch

homemade baked beans, potato and pasta salad, & condiments

and

Jun 24, 2025

Every little thing we make from scratch makes a big difference in our pantries, our health, our culture, and economy. We’re starting with baked beans from Vince:

baked beans

First, canned baked beans are not your friend.

You won’t find this on Big Bean’s website ingredients list, but canned baked beans are loaded with modified corn starch, caramel color (I shudder to consider how they achieve this), ambiguous “spices,” onion powder—which is also loaded with vague ingredients including anti-caking agents like silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, and magnesium stearate—and of course that reliably obscure food label go-to: Natural Flavors.

I’ve said it before when discussing homemade tamales and homemade tortillas: Making healthy food without all of the gross, inflammatory additives isn’t expensive or hard, it just takes time. Unlike something like tamales (we’ll save that for a future post), baked beans from scratch takes very little actual preparation; they both however require strategic planning a few days before you want them.

Second, baked beans are cheap, easy to make, and provide ample leftovers. They’re freezable and full of protein. They’re Short Round to Indiana Jones, they’re like the little complimentary powerhouses to multiple other dishes (like rice and pasta, for example) just waiting for someone to put them in the game and provide a roundhouse kick to your palette.

And third—but perhaps this should’ve been listed first depending on how many big and little men you have on your homestead—homemade baked beans done right are far less likely to elicit that aerial maelstrom of odors they’ve traditionally been slandered with.

Okay, on to…

the recipe

I don’t measure. Sorry. All ingredient portions are variable, but this is what I do to make a large crock pot’s worth.

Ingredients:

white navy beans (as many as you want, they’ll increase in volume by about 50% after you soak them)
ham hocks* (or pork chops or thick cut bacon, so long as it’s not too fatty)
brown sugar
an onion
mustard
molasses

1. Two days before you want to serve them, soak the beans in a pot with a covered lid.

2. The night before you want to serve them, drain the water you soaked the beans in. The gasses released will make the water stink a little, which is good because it means your beans won’t make other gasses later on. You may want to do this outside.

3. Once you’ve thoroughly rinsed the beans, fill the crock pot with them about half full.

4. Dice the onion and toss that in.

5. Add a generous amount of ham hocks or its equivalent porky delight.

6. Add just enough water to cover the beans.

7. Add a few squirts of mustard, and a loooong drizzle of molasses. Stir ‘em in.

8. Add at least a cup of brown sugar. Again, I don’t measure, so I just throw in a few handfuls. If you’re sugar-averse, you can go light and always add more a little later on. Stir it in.

Now the waiting game begins.

9. Turn the slow cooker on high for a couple of hours. I usually do this in the evening around dinnertime. Then, turn it to low and let ‘em cook for at least eight hours. I turn the temp down right before I go to bed.

10. The next morning, you’ll smell that signature baked bean aroma. Gently stir, being careful not to mash them. If it’s too thick, add a little water. Taste to see if you like the sweetness level. If you do, they are essentially done at this point. Turn it to warm and let them stand until whenever the shindig begins.

If they’re too bland, add another handful of brown sugar or another stir of molasses. Check again in an hour and repeat if necessary.

That’s it, you’re done. Crack a beer and enjoy, but try not to get any beans on your t-shirt because that stain ain’t coming out.

Alright, Shannon here with the potatoes, pasta, and a bunch of condiments:

potato or pasta salad

I confess I’ve always been super skeptical of mayonaissey dishes at potlucks. They sit out on the table and just…start to age…and sometimes change color a little. And I wondered what was really in there. Maybe something terrible like fentanyl, or Miracle Whip. Cringe.

Anyway, here’s how we do it here and it’s only with good stuff.

First, decide: Potatoes, or pasta?

Pasta is easier and faster, so that’s what we normally go with. Everyone knows how to boil pasta.

But you really want potato salad? We might be kindred spirits. With potato salad, peel the potatoes, cut them coarsely — I mean, pretty large chunks — and boil them until they are fork tender. If they fall apart when you poke them with a fork, it’s too late. Turn those into mashed potatoes and start over.

With both potato and pasta salad, the next step after draining them into a colander is putting that colander in the sink and running cold water over it until the pasta/potatoes no longer threaten to burn your hand when you reach in to check the temperature at the bottom.

With potatoes, once they’re cold you can cut the big chunks into smaller chunks with a Very Sharp Knife. (You could skip this step if you cut the potatoes into smaller chunks before boiling, but your chances of ending up with mashed potatoes are much higher that way.)

In any case, while your potatoes or pasta are cooking, you can mix your mayonaissey goodness. And this greatly depends on your personal taste and preference — do you like these dishes very saucey? Or less saucey? Are you making a huge batch or a small batch?

So, like Vince, I am not giving you precise measurements. Around here, we do precision guesswork. You are a smart person and will know what you like as you go along. Here are the sauce ingredients I use:

Mayo
mustard
small drizzle of apple cider vinegar or kombucha
small drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh herbs like chives or green onions, oregano, finely chopped plantain or chickweed (SO good), or mint
veggies and greens like peas, finely shredded kale or other hearty lettuce, finely chopped celery
finely chopped bacon or ham, shredded chicken, flaked salmon…whatever you like.
I do not add chopped hard boiled eggs because…ehh, not my thing…but if it’s yours, this is where those go.

I combine all of this in the bottom of a very large bowl, and then add the drained/cooled potatoes or pasta. Mix gently — especially potatoes, lest you end up with a weird cold version of mashed potatoes. If it seems too dry, add more of the first four ingredients until you’re happy with the result.

spicy honey mustard

Only three ingredients necessary — and yes, two of these are generally commercial, so it’s on you to decide how pure to go with those.

2 parts mustard of your choice
1 part honey or molasses
1 part hot sauce (like Tabasco, Tapatio, Franks, or sriracha)

Mix together, adjust to your taste. Perfect for burgers, fries, fritters, hot dogs, sandwiches.

ketchup

I do not like ketchup. Even less do I like the word “catsup.” (I blame sensory issues.) But for those of you who do, here’s one way:

1 1/2 cup tomatoes OR canned tomato sauce
2-3 dates
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

Soak the dates in a tiny bit of hot water for about ten minutes to soften. If your sun dried tomatoes are dry — not in oil — you’ll need to soak these, too. Then blend the ingredients together. Done.

barbecue sauce

Homemade bbq sauce (which I DO like) is just a few steps away from ketchup — start with the same ingredients, then throw them in a pot to simmer. Add mustard, cayenne, molasses, honey, or whatever spices fit your taste.

We hope you found something here to help your potluck, picnic, or family dinner. Got a favorite go-to essential from scratch that we didn’t mention? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Happy Summer!
Shannon and Vince