Boston Baked Beans

Our Auntie Ethel brought an antique bean pot full of rich and filling baked beans to every family gathering. This recipe, for authentic Boston baked beans, is similar. We usually serve hot dogs with them, and the hot dogs in the photo below are "red snappers," popular in Maine.

Ingredients

• 1 pound kidney or pea beans (dried)
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 pound salt pork
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Pick over and wash beans.
2. Boil in five times the amount of water for 10 minutes.
3. Cover beans with fresh water and boil until skins split
4. Put onion in bean pot.
5. Drain beans and add to pot.
6. Mix together molasses, salt, brown sugar, mustard, baking soda and add mixture immediately to beans in pot.
7. Score salt pork and put on top of pot.
8. Shake a little pepper over the pork.
9. Add water to barely cover.
10. Bake in 250 - 300 F oven for at least 8 hours. Add water as needed.

Ethel's Recipe