Boston Baked Beans

slow-baked navy beans with molasses and salt pork

Makes 1.7 kg · 427 kcal per serving

Ingredients

• 454 g Navy Beans
• 900 g Water
• 170 g Salt Pork
• 150 g Onion
• 115 g Molasses
• 55 g Brown Sugar
• 8 g Salt
• 3 g Dry Mustard
• 1 g Black Pepper

Method

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water, then drain. Cover with fresh water, bring to a simmer, and cook until the skins split under a gentle puff of air, ~20–30 min. Drain, saving the liquid. Salt and molasses slow the skins from softening, which is why the beans are parboiled before either goes near them.
2. Assemble: Score the salt pork rind and cut it in two. Bury one piece in the bottom of a bean pot or Dutch oven with the onion, add the beans, and set the second piece on top, rind up. Whisk the molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper into the hot bean liquid, pour it over to just cover, and top up with boiling water if it falls short.
3. Bake: Cover and bake at 275°F / 135°C for 5–6 h, checking each hour and adding boiling water whenever the beans break the surface. Uncover for the last 45 min to brown the top and thicken the sauce. They're done when the beans are soft through and the sauce coats a spoon. Old beans can take an hour or two longer, so go by texture, not the clock.