I find it oddly coincidental that yesterday the Baltimore Sun and the San Francisco Chronicle both decided to feature recipes for baked beans. I do not normally think of February as being baked bean season. On the other hand, I have been looking for an excuse to get one of these bean pots, so maybe I should give these two recipes a try.
Boston Baked Beans
Makes 8 servings
- 16 ounces (2 cups) dry navy beans
- 2 quarts cold water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup molasses
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 4 ounces salt pork
- 1 medium onion, chopped
Rinse beans; add to water in saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. (Or, add beans to cold water; soak overnight.) Do not drain. Add salt to beans.
Cover and simmer till tender, about 1 hour, then drain, reserving liquid. Measure 2 cups liquid, adding water if needed; mix with molasses, brown sugar and mustard.
Cut salt pork in half; score one half. Grind or thinly slice remainder. In 2-quart bean pot or casserole, combine beans, onions and ground salt pork. Pour molasses mixture over. Top with scored pork.
Cover; bake in 300-degree oven for 5 to 7 hours. Add more liquid if needed.
Per serving: 394 calories; 12 grams protein; 12 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrate; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 365 milligrams sodium
Nana Laurette’s Baked Beans
This dish is a time commitment that is worth the effort. The beans taste even better the next day.
- 1½ pounds navy beans
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ yellow onion
- ¼ pound salt pork
Wash and pick over beans, discarding any stones or debris. Place in a 6-quart pot (not cast iron), cover with water and let soak overnight. The next morning, drain beans and add fresh water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the skins of the beans break, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 250°.
Combine the salt, brown sugar, molasses and mustard in a Dutch oven, stir to combine. Then add the beans and stir to evenly coat with the mixture.
Press the onion half and salt pork into the middle of the beans. Pour in boiling water to cover.
Cover the pot and bake for 5 hours without stirring. Add hot water as necessary to keep beans covered with water at all times. Uncover the pot for the last half hour of cooking so the beans will brown.
Serves 8
Per serving: 425 calories, 18 g protein, 61 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (4 g saturated), 12 mg cholesterol, 792 mg sodium, 20 g fiber