11/29/10

Boston Baked Beans



Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

There's nothing like the smell of home baked beans, slow cooking in the oven all day.

Here is an authentic recipe for Boston Baked Beans. This historic bean dish gets its flavor from molasses, bacon, brown sugar, and mustard. Soak the beans overnight and simmer before cooking for the best and most tender Boston Baked Beans.

Ingredients

2 cups navy beans
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar


Directions

Beans are best if soaked overnight in cold water. The next day simmer the beans in the same water until soft, about 1 to 2 hours. Drain and save the liquid.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish and layering the beans with bacon and onion.

In a saucepan, mix the ingredients. Combine the molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake the beans for approximately 8 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry. Remove the lid for the last 2 hours to allow beans to brown