Baked Beans

Baked Beans are a treat with deep history for people in the American North-East and Quebec. Our recipe is rooted in the Boston tradition with some modifications.

The ingredients differ for Boston Baked Beans, New England Baked Beans (Maine), and Québécois Baked Beans (Fèves au Lard). English-style baked beans and BBQ baked beans introduce even more variety with tomato. Molasses and the omission of any tomato-based product is a stand-out differentiator for Boston Baked Beans - which this recipe follows. We use bacon instead of the traditional salt pork and like to think that the traditional cooking method in a wood-fired hearth imparted some mild smoke to the bean pot. While dry mustard is historically accurate, baked beans often lack acidity which the vinegar in the prepared mustard makes up for.

Sort the Navy (Pea) beans and remove any debris. It is less common nowadays, but occassionally a small bean-sized stone will make it past the sorting mechanisms at the processing plant. Two minutes can save the price of a crown! Also remove any heavily discolored beans if you wish.

While a bean crock looks fun they are thermally sensitive, easy to break, are often limited in size and more difficult to load/unload and clean. We use a modern enameled cast iron dutch oven. Warm water will help the salt dissolve. Hydrate the beans for at least 8 hours at room temperature. The salt will also help to soften the bean skins.

Whisk in the molasses, mustard and brown sugar. Experiment with ratios of these ingredients to suit your taste. For less sweet, throttle back on the brown sugar rather than the molasses. You can also replace the prepared mustard with dry mustard and distilled white or cider vinegar. I've seen people tip some pickle juice in for acidity as well.

Add the bacon and onion. Substitute salt pork for the bacon if you like, but check the sodium content as some preservation practices use more salt than others. Once it is in you cant take it out.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and bake for 8 hours at 300°F. With our pot and our oven this recipe will go the full 8 hours without adding any additional water. It is okay for the bacon and onion to rise above the surface but keep the liquid above the beans. After 8 hours remove the spent onion and bacon pressing the solids to express any liquid back into the pot. By this time they are like juiced oranges and can be discarded. Chop and add back to the pot if you prefer.

Check the sauce for consistency. If it is too thin put the uncovered pot back in the oven and allow it to reduce. If it is too thick don't just add enough water to thin it - add a little extra and then reduce as above. At least an hour of uncovered time in the oven will encourage caramelization and ensure the flavor concentration between the beans and sauce is balanced.

Baked Beans are almost as much about the process as the product. Soaking the beans Friday overnight and then cooking them throughout the day for Saturday evening was tradition. Our family soaks them Saturday and then cooks them overnight. Waking up to the smell of homemade baked beans Sunday morning is a memory we share across generations. Let us know on our YouTube channel if you have a family recipe for baked beans, or if you give ours a try.