its time for bean hole beans (Bath, Yarmouth: horse, parking, place)

[starwalker]

Out west where I learned to do this, we had only soft woods, and that works too... just need a bit bigger hole and a bit more wood.

I have done beanhole beans by themselves and as an addition to a pit bbq of a whole goat. I also did a turkey this way once (when I was just learning) and forgot to shovel coals on TOP of the roaster. DON'T FORGET! We had a well done "bottom half" of a turkey and had to finish the top the next day in my mom's oven. The reason I did this was that we ran outa propane the night before Thanksgiving, couldn't get a delivery until the day after, and this was my solution to Thanksgiving dinner. Was the first time I "soloed" as my hubby worked in the hospital and didn't have the day off. That is one lesson I will NOT forget.

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

how to make bean hole beans.
first you start with a pot .i use an old castiron dutch oven iv seen others use diffrent typs of pot's but i like mine.
make sure it has a tight cover.then you dig a hole in the ground.explaine later what the hole is for.(save the dirt your going to use it.
ok bild a fire with hard wood you need alot of coals so dont be stingy with the wood.20 or 25 8 to 10 "sticks of wood is useualy enough.
once the wood has burnd downe to coals your raedy to start.
now in comes the hole . if your pot is 10" then your hole should be 18".
make the hole deep enough so find out how tall your pot is.
if you have a 9" pot then you will need a 20 to 22" deep.
now put 3 or 4" of coals in the hole and levle them out.now put your pot of beans in the middle of the hole directly on the coals.
now take a pc. of foile and put over the pot the fill the hole with coals.
leave about 3" from the top of the hole. take the dirt you saved and fill the hole to cover the coals now if you see steam you will need to put some more dirt on . this proses takes about 5 hours but well worth it . i use maple wood.
but you can use any hard wood. this is the basic's the best way to do it is to build your fire in the hole. but most people cant get wood to burn in a hole.
good luck and happy cooking.

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by bringselpup

So how many dutch ovens/holes and how many beans for 61 people?

i figure around 10 but we are doing 12 just to be on the safe side.
i have 3 ovens and my siblings are going to bring theirs over.
as for the holes ,thank god for a back hoe thats alot of diging.
i think im going to do it up in the field becouse i dont want all them holes in my back yard.

[bringselpup]

12 holes, 12 fires, 12 pots o beans,

I mean so many your gonna use a backhoe, that's gotta qualify you as some kind of serious.

[txmom]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

yup its that time of year to brake out the dutch oven dig a big hole and start a hot fire.this weekend is mothers day and at 75 mom gets what she wants.
so i went to ask her what she wanted .she said bean hole beans.
i said kinda early for that isnt it .nop she said. when i was a girl we started cooking them right after the frost went out.so so i did some figuring how maney beans it would take to feed mom ,all my brothers and sisters ,12 of us.29 grand children and 18 great grand children and 2 great great grand children.i come to a total of alot. alot of holes to dig and many pounds of beans.if this is what she wants this is what she gets . happy mothers day every one.

You are the sweetest man, Ranger.

[Jpurvis]

Thanks for the instructions, sounds like something I am gonna have to do. What kind of beans are you cooking? Any kind?

[elston]

Hmmmm I remember my Dad used to make bean hole beans to the delight and amazement of my brother and sister and myself. He was the hole digger and fire tender, Mom seasoned the beans. In Maine is there a prefered type of bean?...in our house it was yellow eyed beans...or a red kidney bean....but I think that showed a Vermont influence! I havent had bean hole beans in many a year. Fun to think about them. Sometimes I see churches have a bean hole bean event as a fund raiser.

[RANGER.101ST]

i like pinto beans but you can use any bean that you want or like.

[dmyankee]

Cattle, yellow eye and soldier beans are popular up here. Maybe 'cause they withstand the long, overnight cooking times.

[RANGER.101ST]

the hole's are all dug the fire wood is piled up and ready to be lit and the people that live next door are amased.(theyr from ny city)they said they had never heard of such a thing.they asked why would you go to this much trouble for a pot of beans.and i said if you have to ask you wouldnt understand.and just like that poof i have quoted my dad.

[RANGER.101ST]

going to bed early tonight so i can get up at mid night to start the fires burning.
my older brouther and one of my younger sisters are comeing over to help tend the fire and set the pots in the ground . if we get them all in the ground by 3 am they should be done by noon.we got 60lb of fiddel heads,a 230lb pig and a half side of beef.
i will let you all know how it go's.happy mothers day hope you and yours have fun.