Baked beans may not look too sexy, but Mainers can get plenty heated up over their favorite Saturday-night supper dish.

Mention baked beans in a crowed room and brace yourself for an onslaught of recommendations, and recipes, as well as strong opinions about likes and dislikes. Don’t believe me? Go ahead, try it.

We here at bPlus — spurred by a suggestion from avid b-Plus reader Jan Barrett, owner of the Ware Street Inn in Lewiston — decided to hold a blind taste test to see whose commercially available baked beans are the biggest palate pleasers. Suggestions on which beans should be in the test came from readers responding to our query; four Lewiston-Auburn establishments were touted repeatedly. Several people also praised their own tried-and-true bean-baking skills. To them, and to the many other baked bean makers in L-A — from churches, Granges and fraternal organizations to restaurants like Little Dan’s BBQ of Lewiston (yes, we later heard yours are incredible) — we apologize to you and your fans. We had to have a limit, and so we based our test samples on the suggestions received from readers — with one curve ball thrown in. (See below.)

Please let others know about your special beans or your favorites made by someone else by going to www.sunjournal.com and commenting at the
end of this story.

The beans (Pea beans with salt pork, in all cases)

Grant’s Bakery — 525 Sabattus St., Lewiston, 783-2226

Italian Bakery — 225 Bartlett St., Lewiston, 782-8312?

Andy’s Baked Beans — 47 Broad St., Auburn, 782-9044

Roy’s Foodland — 70 Broad St., Auburn, 783-8471

The curve: B & M Original Baked Beans — a canned Maine tradition, and still made exclusively in Portland. 

The testers

Jan Barrett

Bio: 62, of Lewiston, and owner of the Ware Street Inn.

Why love baked beans: “I grew up in Auburn, right up the hill from Andy’s Baked Beans, and my
grandfather used to go down every Saturday and buy the baked beans.”

Mike Barrett

Bio: 53, of Lewiston, the brawn behind the Ware Street Inn and owner of Ware Street Restorations.

Why love baked beans: “They’re good for you; a lot of protein.”

Nigel Bowles

Bio: 15, of Auburn, a student at Edward Little high school.

Why love baked beans: “I had them at a friend’s house and I liked them.”

Claudette Jordan

Bio: 57, of Auburn, administrative assistant for Lewiston Recreation Department

Why love baked beans: “I can remember having beans every Saturday night and brown bread.”

Jodd Bowles

Bio: 47, rehabilitation therapist and ski coach

Why love baked beans: “Saturdays were beans, so you at least knew you were getting something edible.”

Lorrie Chasse

Bio: 30, of Lewiston

Why love baked beans: “I wouldn’t eat them as a kid. It’s an acquired taste.”  

Jason Chasse

Bio: 30, of Lewiston, gymnastics instructor at Andy Valley

Why love baked beans: “I love beans, that’s my qualification.”

The results

As with our other Sun Journal tests, there were surprises. A number of testers didn’t pick their traditional favorite as No. 1 in the test. Others liked beans from a maker they didn’t expect to like — those B&M beans, for instance. And there were lots of other reactions, including:

Revulsion: “I thought they were pretty gross,” reported Nigel Bowles about one of the entries.

Sadness: “I’m very disappointed that my favorite beans were the worst on my list,” lamented Claudette Jordan.

Discomfort: “I’m having trouble over the look of #4,” said Jodd Bowles.

“Just close your eyes,” a fellow tester suggested.

And, fortunately, there was pleasure, even from beans not ultimately ranked No. 1 by the tester:

“Cooked well. Nice crack in each one. … Tasty!” said Jason Chasse of Andy’s Baked Beans, his No. 2 choice.

“Cooked perfect,” said Mike Barrett of the Roy’s Foodland entry, his No. 2 pick. 

And the winner is: Andy’s Baked Beans, with three of the seven testers choosing it No. 1 and receiving the overall best score. In a surprise to some, B&M Original Baked Beans came in second, followed in close order by Roy’s, Grant’s and Italian Bakery.

The judges’ No. 1 picks and their comments:

Jan Barrett

Andy’s Baked Beans

The good: Good color and cooked right

The bad: The beans were runny and were a little bland.

Comments: The have the best texture, but the aftertaste is almost just over the edge.

Mike Barrett

B&M Original Baked Beans

The good: Great flavor.

The bad: Mushy.

Comments: None

Nigel Bowles

B&M Original Baked Beans

The good: Tasted good.

The bad: Looked gross; mushy

Comments: I thought these were really good.

Claudette Jordan

Andy’s Baked Beans

The good: Great color, tender, and good.

The bad: Not much.

Comments: These are good.

Jodd Bowles

Roy’s Foodland

The good: Good beans.

The bad: Not much.

Comments: Best flavor. 

Lorrie Chasse

Andy’s Baked Beans

The good: Perfect texture.

The bad: Needs a bit more flavor.

Comments: No additional comments.

Jason Chasse

Roy’s Foodland

The good: Soft bean. 

The bad: Starchy taste.

Comments:  I liked the texture and peppery taste.

Baked beans have been around a while — possibly 900 years.

While it isn’t known for certain, many believe the dish originated with native Americans, though there is reference on the Web to baked beans as far back as 1120 A.D (http://www.gkism.com/Aboutus_bangalore.htm). That story centers around the town of Bangalore, in India, and its founder and king, who supposedly got lost on a hunting trip. He was given shelter by an old woman and she fed him baked beans, as the story goes.

Whatever the origins, today most traditional baked bean recipes include molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard and salt pork. Modern recipes often include Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and sometimes maple syrup. Onions are frequently added, and bacon is sometimes substituted for salt pork.