Slow Cooked Beans

This recipe takes some time, but it is certainly worth it.

The longest part, of course, is getting the dried beans to be soft. I soaked my beans overnight, which softened them a bit.

I then boiled the beans for about an hour and a half to completely soften them.

I didn’t add the onion until the beans were already soft. This gave me a heartier onion.

The salt pork is the hero of the dish. Burying the pork in the beans ensures that the pork flavor works throughout the dish during the baking process.

I did make this a three day recipe, so don’t be afraid to do that as well. Day one - Soaking the beans. Day two - boiling the beans and assembling the casserole. Day three - final baking.

I know it seems like a lot of work. But, you don’t really have to do anything for more than 30 minutes.

I put the beans in the oven at 6am and let them cook while doing other things to prep for our noon barbecue.

The smell in my house was amazing! The beans turned out wonderfully. So much so, there were no leftovers at the end of the barbecue.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

2 Cups Beans

1 Small Onion

1/8 Pound Salt Pork, Scored

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard

2 Tablespoons Molasses

Soak beans in cold water overnight. Simmer until skins begin to burst, turn into the bean pot over onion. Bury pork in beans, leaving only the rind exposed. Mix salt, mustard, and molasses in a cup, fill with hot water, stir until well mixed then pour over beans. Add water to cover. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 6 to 8 hours. Add more water as necessary.