I previously promised that I would figure out baked beans. I did, this Thanksgiving, making one of our five easy sides. Over the next little while I will post all the Thanksgiving recipes (if PMC doesn't beat me to it).
- 1 lb dry beans (yellow eye or soldier or jacob's cattle or white navy; it is hard to find any bean variety outside of Maine and maritime Canada)
- 1/4 lb fat, salt pork or bacon or butter (yes, butter!)
- 1/2 cup molasses (nice sweet molasses you are willing to eat straight)
Par-boil the beans in unsalted (yes, this is important, I learned the hard way) water in an oven-proof pot for 20 to 30 min, until the skins start to peel when you breathe on the beans. Pour off and reserve the pot liquor
(PMC's word). Mix into the beans the fat and molasses, and enough pot liquor to not-quite cover them. Bake them, covered, at 250 F for 4 to 6 hours, checking every hour for doneness, stirring, and adding pot liquor as necessary. Never let the liquid in the pot get to the top of the top layer of beans.
At the end, stir in salt and pepper to taste. If they seem dry to you, add a bit more water to thin them. The important thing, whether you like to eat them soupy or dry, is that they cook without too much liquid in the pot.
Experiment with different kinds of fat, maple syrup instead of molasses (or a mixture), with mustard, rum, onions, or whatever strikes your fancy. You won't go bankrupt in the process!
