Boston Baked Beans
A culinary classic from Boston
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups 16 ounces/1 pound) dried white beans (such as navy or cannellini; pintos work, too)
- 6 cups cold water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or barley malt syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (about 4, peeled and seeded)
- 3 medium onions, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 shakes hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Cover the beans with water in a large pot or Dutch oven and soak for two hours or overnight.
- Once the beans are hydrated, preheat the oven to 300°F and pour all the water out of the pot. Add the fresh cold water and turn the heat to medium, and allow the beans to boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, and let the beans cook until tender (about an hour).
- Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid into a separate bowl and, being careful to leave another 2 cups of liquid in the pot with the beans, strain out the rest of the cooking liquid. Combine all the remaining ingredients and then add to the beanpot.
- Bake for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with Boston Brown Bread or Parker House Rolls.
Notes
Note that the beans need a long soak before cooking. For a non-vegetarian approach, add 5 or 6 thick bacon slices as the beans bake. Double this recipe for a big batch.