Boston Baked Beans

This dish is a great accompaniment to BAKED HAM. The beans are also wonderful served inside an omelet, or, just eat them with frankfurters.
from Marie St. Louis, Bostonian

250 F
1⁄2 hour, then 4-5 hours, then 1⁄2 hour
large pot
crock pot, or oven-ready pot with lid

4 cups dried pea, navy or Great Northern beans
3 medium onions
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cloves (stuck in onion)
1⁄2 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 cups water
1⁄2 pound salt pork


1. Cover beans with water. Bring to a boil. Let soak in that water one hour.

2. Bring to a boil again. Add 1 onion and salt. Cover and simmer slowly 30 minutes.

*3. Drain water and onion. Heat oven to 250 F. Place a few pieces of the salt pork on the bottom of crock. Set onion stuck with cloves on top of them. Cover with beans. Combine other ingredients (less 1/4 cup brown sugar), plus 2 cups water. Add to crock. Push salt pork just below surface. Cover tightly and cook 41⁄2-5 hours.

4. Remove crock from oven. Remove lid and add remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Return to oven and bake 1⁄2 hour. Serve.

Editor's Notes: Beans get better each time dish is reheated, therefore they can easily be made at least a day ahead of serving time. Beware: adding salt can toughen beans and prevent them from ever softening. Salt at end. Bacon, cut into tiny bits can be substituted for salt pork. *Alternatively, soak dried beans overnight in twice the amount of water as beans and start cooking at #3, above.

©NANCY BOOKMAN HOFFMAN
July 6, 1999, December 5, 2007
RECIPES/BKDBEANS.VEG