This recipe takes two days to make (on the second day, they cook for 13 hours in a crockpot), but the results are well worth the time and trouble. Before you start, make sure you have all the ingredients listed ready, then start assembling them as described.

When you've finished cooking them and are savoring every bite, visualize yourself riding in the dining car on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, watching the scenery rattle by and enjoying the old-fashioned way to travel.

• water
• 1 pound dry navy or white pea beans
• 1 pound dry great northern beans
• 1 pound dry large lima beans
• 2 Tablespoons maple extract
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tablespoons brown prepared mustard, as bold and spicy as you can find.
• 2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 "big chunk" of salt pork, the leaner the better (use your imagination on just how big a "big chunk" is...)
• 1/2 cup cold strong coffee
• 1 cup apple butter, plain or spiced
• 1 tub (2 cups) Lloyds-brand shredded pork BBQ meat
• 1 15-ounce can diced, chopped, or stewed tomatoes, preferably with onions and peppers
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup ketchup, hot flavored, if desired
• 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup dark honey, the darker the better
• 1/2 cup of Meyers Dark Rum or Jack Daniels
• 1 cup hickory smoke flavored BBQ sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick

Day One

Pick over the dry beans to remove any dirt, stones, or other foreign materials. Then in a large (and I do mean LARGE) pot, rinse the beans. Then bring the beans to a boil in the large pot after covering them with a lot of water. They're going to soak up a ton of water and grow to be about twice as big as they were when dry. Boil them for two minutes, take them off the heat, cover the pot, and let them stand for a full hour. After that, put them back on the stove and simmer on low heat for an hour and a half, still covered.

Pour the beans and their liquid into a bowl, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Yes, overnight. I told you this was going to take two days.

Day Two

In the morning, drain all but 2 cups of the bean water.

To the beans and water add all the other ingredents. Mix very well. Put it all into the crock pot (it may take several crock pots, depending on how big yours are). Cook on low setting for 13 to 14 hours. Stir it now and then, but don't take the lid off very often, as this slows cooking significantly.

When your long wait is over, sit back and enjoy your pot of caboose beans, just like the old Lehigh Valley Railroad crews and passengers used to. The wait is definitely worth it.

Of course, this is not my favorite baked bean recipe, although it is a good one. Click over to The Best Baked Beans in the World to read about and see the recipe for the absolutely finest baked beans known to man.

Copyright © 2003 Richard Mann. All rights reserved. Please contact the author for permission to use this article (includes reprints in mailing lists, newsletters, and/or any other purpose/format) and give details of its proposed use. Any and all use of this article in any way without permission is prohibited under copyright law. Acceptable use: Please feel free to link to this page. Of course, you can always print these recipes for your own personal use (that's what they're here for).

366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains This excellent book, 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains, gives you 366 recipes for healthful, delicious bean, rice, and grain dishes from all over the world. Yes, they're primarily vegetarian recipes, but the book does include variations on the recipes that use salmon, shrimp, and chicken. Mouthwatering ethnic recipes are mixed with other "natural gourmet" items that are fascinating to read, fun to prepare, and a delight to eat. How do Smoky Black Bean Burritos sound? Or how about Pesto Pasta with Cranberry Beans? I'm ready to start cooking right now.