Boston Baked Beans in Bean Pot
Submitted by luciana75
Boston baked beans done the old-fashioned way: dried beans slow-baked for hours in a bean pot with salt pork, molasses and dry mustard, until thick, sticky and deeply sweet-savory. From scratch, no cans.
YIELD
7 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
6 hrsREADY
6 hrsThis is the real deal, the molasses-rich baked beans that earned Boston its ‘Beantown’ nickname. No shortcuts and no cans here, just dried beans, salt pork, and time.
After an overnight soak, the beans get a quick parboil with a little baking soda, which softens their skins so they drink up the sweet liquid as they bake. Then comes the layering: salt pork on the bottom and top of the bean pot, with onion and beans in between, all bathed in molasses, sugar and dry mustard.
The magic is the long, slow bake. Six hours in a low oven melts the salt pork into the beans, thickens the liquid into a sticky glaze, and builds that deep, smoky-sweet flavor you can’t rush. Your only job along the way is to peek in and add a splash of water so they stay moist. Serve with cornbread or brown bread.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip the soak and baking-soda parboil; they soften the skins so the beans cook evenly and soak up the molasses.
- Keep the oven low and resist rushing; the long bake is what thickens the liquid and deepens the flavor.
- Check the pot every hour and add water a little at a time to keep the beans moist, but don’t flood them or you wash out the glaze.
- Bury the onion and most of the salt pork in the beans so they break down and flavor the whole pot.
Variations
- Stir in a little ketchup or a splash of cider vinegar for a tangier sauce.
- Use maple syrup in place of some molasses for a New England maple twist.
- Swap the salt pork for thick-cut bacon if that’s what you have.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak beans overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Place the baking soda in a Dutch oven and fill half way with water.
Bring to a boil and add the beans.
Boil for 10 minutes. Drain beans in a colander and run cold water through them.
Set aside.
Dice the salt pork into 1-inch squares.
Put half of the salt pork on the bottom of the bean pot, along with the onion.
Put beans in the pot. Put the remaining salt pork on top of the beans.
Mix the sugar, molasses, mustard, salt and pepper with 3 cups of hot water and pour over the beans.
Cover pot with lid and place the pot into the preheated oven.
Bake for 6 hours. Check pot periodically to check the amount of liquid.
Add water to the beans slowly as needed to keep them moist; do not flood them.
Remove the pot from the oven and serve.
Comments
If you have an old fashioned ceramic bean pot put it into a cold oven or your pot could break.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment to let us know how to avoid breaking an old fashioned ceramic bean pot when we make the similar recipes :)
Soaked navy beans for eight hours and cooked them in a bean pot without preboiling. Used a half pound of bacon and 1/3 cup of brown sugar. It only cooked for 5 hours so I would check them for doneness by then.
What is the purpose of the baking soda?
It helps make the beans cook quicker.
Baking soda helps eliminate the gassiness beans cause
I've followed the recipe to a T but I'm finding it much too salty. Any tips to fix?