The baked beans were homemade, starting with dry navy beans that had to be soaked overnight. Soaking instructions and recipe I used for this dish is in the link below.
Pans needed: Heavy lidded pot for slow cooking, such as a beanpot or a cast iron dutch oven; plus a small saucepan to prepare the spices. (This recipe will work wonderfully in a crock pot.)
1 pound Great Northern beans, dried (or navy beans if Great Northern isn’t available)
1 tablespoon baking soda (only needed if the beans can’t be soaked overnight)
8 ounces (1/2 pound) slab bacon, uncooked (sliced bacon or pork belly can be used if you prefer)
(As an alternative to bacon or pork, you can substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika.)
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
4 ounces (1/2 cup) tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Additional meats (optional):
4 to 5 franks (hot dogs), or about 1/2 pound, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound pork (shoulder, ribs, or chops), cut into small cubes
The traditional method for preparing Boston baked beans requires a lot of time: the beans need to be soaked overnight, and when they’ve been prepared they will need to be baked in a 250 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for six to eight hours.
Use a Salt Brine
The traditional method of soaking beans is to simply cover them with water and soak them overnight. This easy method usually works well, but there are times when the beans don’t soften – especially if you’re in an area where the local tap water is “hard” mineral-rich water. This is why I recommend soaking the beans in salt water. There’s a popular belief that salt water will harden the beans, but foodie blogs and YouTube videos have demonstrated this to be incorrect: the salt water breaks down the hard shell of the beans and softens them, so that after the beans are cooked they’ll be soft and chewy, with the right consistency – but not mash.
For each pound of beans, add one quart of cool-to-warm tap water; it doesn’t need to be ice water, but it can’t be hot water. (Hot water would begin cooking the beans prematurely.) To the water, add two teaspoons of table salt for each quart of water. Mix it all together for a few seconds to evenly distribute the beans and the dissolve the salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it on your counter to soak for twelve hours.
Don’t put the beans in the refrigerator; the cold air in the fridge keeps the beans from softening. If the beans soak too long, they spoil and smell terrible; which is why a 12-hour soak works just about right. (If you’re worried about them contracting bacteria when soaking on the countertop, the 10 to 12 hour cook in the oven at 250 or 260 degrees will take care of that.) The beans will expand as they soak, which is why the additional water is needed. After soaking the beans, drain the bowl with a colander and discard the salt water. The amount of salt used here is low enough that you won’t have to rinse off the beans after draining them; but the bean water itself will be too salty.
I’ve made this dish using soybeans rather than navy beans. The result was excellent: the soybeans retained their firmness and didn’t turn into mush during the long, slow cook. However, soybeans are very tough and they take a long time to prepare. If you’re using soybeans, you’ll need to soak the beans for twelve hours. Drain the beans and don’t save the water. Add the beans to a saucepan large enough to fit, and cover the beans with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer the beans for a further three to four hours. This will soften the beans to the point where they can be used in this dish. Drain the beans and discard the water again, and use fresh water (or chicken broth) to cover the beans.
Slow-Cook the Beans
If you’re using a dutch oven, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. (Don’t preheat the oven if you’re using a ceramic beanpot. Instead, turn on the oven after putting in the pot of beans. If you’re using a crock pot, set it to low.) Slice the bacon (or salt pork) into small pieces or cubes. Peel and chop the onion.
Arrange the beans in a cast iron dutch oven of 4 to 5 quart size. Spread a layer of beans across the bottom of the pot, then lay the pork and onions on top. Cover the pork entirely with the remaining beans.
In a bowl or saucepan, combine the brown sugar, molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and cloves. Mix it all together into a thick, delicious sauce, and pour it over the beans. Pour in enough fresh water (or tap water) to fully cover the beans, plus a bit more. You can also use chicken broth, water or both. It will look as though there is far too much liquid in the pot, but this will work fine. If there isn’t enough bean water, make up the difference with tap water or chicken broth. It will look as though there is far too much liquid in the pot, but this will work fine.
If you’re using additional meat, such as pork shoulder or ribs, cut the meat into cubes. Add them to the pot. If you’re using franks (hot dogs), don’t add them to the pot yet.
Cover your dutch oven with a heavy iron lid. Bake for at least 8 to 10 hours in the preheated oven, until the beans are tender. If you are adding franks (hot dogs) to the dish, wait until about five hours have elapsed. Cut the franks into small pieces, about one half inch wide. Add these to the pot and stir it all together. Cover the pot, place it back in the oven, and wait for another three to four hours.
​
The hotdogs were cooked separately. I did not boil them but cooked them in a cast iron skillet. Any brand is fine but I used the budget “unfriendly” Nathan’s for this meal.
The carrots were leftovers from a beef pot roast made the previous day. Just saved those and used for a side.
Sprinkled parsley on top to be fancy.
chokeNswallow
Always make my beanie weenies with pork and beans and cheap hot dogs and obviously a few other ingredients. Makes a great meal though . Sometimes I pour a ladle of them over mashed potatoes .
2 Comments
The baked beans were homemade, starting with dry navy beans that had to be soaked overnight. Soaking instructions and recipe I used for this dish is in the link below.
[http://www.modemac.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/Boston_Baked_Beans](http://www.modemac.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/Boston_Baked_Beans)
Pans needed: Heavy lidded pot for slow cooking, such as a beanpot or a cast iron dutch oven; plus a small saucepan to prepare the spices. (This recipe will work wonderfully in a crock pot.)
1 pound Great Northern beans, dried (or navy beans if Great Northern isn’t available)
1 tablespoon baking soda (only needed if the beans can’t be soaked overnight)
8 ounces (1/2 pound) slab bacon, uncooked (sliced bacon or pork belly can be used if you prefer)
(As an alternative to bacon or pork, you can substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika.)
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
4 ounces (1/2 cup) tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Additional meats (optional):
4 to 5 franks (hot dogs), or about 1/2 pound, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound pork (shoulder, ribs, or chops), cut into small cubes
The traditional method for preparing Boston baked beans requires a lot of time: the beans need to be soaked overnight, and when they’ve been prepared they will need to be baked in a 250 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for six to eight hours.
Use a Salt Brine
The traditional method of soaking beans is to simply cover them with water and soak them overnight. This easy method usually works well, but there are times when the beans don’t soften – especially if you’re in an area where the local tap water is “hard” mineral-rich water. This is why I recommend soaking the beans in salt water. There’s a popular belief that salt water will harden the beans, but foodie blogs and YouTube videos have demonstrated this to be incorrect: the salt water breaks down the hard shell of the beans and softens them, so that after the beans are cooked they’ll be soft and chewy, with the right consistency – but not mash.
For each pound of beans, add one quart of cool-to-warm tap water; it doesn’t need to be ice water, but it can’t be hot water. (Hot water would begin cooking the beans prematurely.) To the water, add two teaspoons of table salt for each quart of water. Mix it all together for a few seconds to evenly distribute the beans and the dissolve the salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it on your counter to soak for twelve hours.
Don’t put the beans in the refrigerator; the cold air in the fridge keeps the beans from softening. If the beans soak too long, they spoil and smell terrible; which is why a 12-hour soak works just about right. (If you’re worried about them contracting bacteria when soaking on the countertop, the 10 to 12 hour cook in the oven at 250 or 260 degrees will take care of that.) The beans will expand as they soak, which is why the additional water is needed. After soaking the beans, drain the bowl with a colander and discard the salt water. The amount of salt used here is low enough that you won’t have to rinse off the beans after draining them; but the bean water itself will be too salty.
I’ve made this dish using soybeans rather than navy beans. The result was excellent: the soybeans retained their firmness and didn’t turn into mush during the long, slow cook. However, soybeans are very tough and they take a long time to prepare. If you’re using soybeans, you’ll need to soak the beans for twelve hours. Drain the beans and don’t save the water. Add the beans to a saucepan large enough to fit, and cover the beans with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer the beans for a further three to four hours. This will soften the beans to the point where they can be used in this dish. Drain the beans and discard the water again, and use fresh water (or chicken broth) to cover the beans.
Slow-Cook the Beans
If you’re using a dutch oven, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. (Don’t preheat the oven if you’re using a ceramic beanpot. Instead, turn on the oven after putting in the pot of beans. If you’re using a crock pot, set it to low.) Slice the bacon (or salt pork) into small pieces or cubes. Peel and chop the onion.
Arrange the beans in a cast iron dutch oven of 4 to 5 quart size. Spread a layer of beans across the bottom of the pot, then lay the pork and onions on top. Cover the pork entirely with the remaining beans.
In a bowl or saucepan, combine the brown sugar, molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and cloves. Mix it all together into a thick, delicious sauce, and pour it over the beans. Pour in enough fresh water (or tap water) to fully cover the beans, plus a bit more. You can also use chicken broth, water or both. It will look as though there is far too much liquid in the pot, but this will work fine. If there isn’t enough bean water, make up the difference with tap water or chicken broth. It will look as though there is far too much liquid in the pot, but this will work fine.
If you’re using additional meat, such as pork shoulder or ribs, cut the meat into cubes. Add them to the pot. If you’re using franks (hot dogs), don’t add them to the pot yet.
Cover your dutch oven with a heavy iron lid. Bake for at least 8 to 10 hours in the preheated oven, until the beans are tender. If you are adding franks (hot dogs) to the dish, wait until about five hours have elapsed. Cut the franks into small pieces, about one half inch wide. Add these to the pot and stir it all together. Cover the pot, place it back in the oven, and wait for another three to four hours.
​
The hotdogs were cooked separately. I did not boil them but cooked them in a cast iron skillet. Any brand is fine but I used the budget “unfriendly” Nathan’s for this meal.
The carrots were leftovers from a beef pot roast made the previous day. Just saved those and used for a side.
Sprinkled parsley on top to be fancy.
Always make my beanie weenies with pork and beans and cheap hot dogs and obviously a few other ingredients. Makes a great meal though . Sometimes I pour a ladle of them over mashed potatoes .