Devil Doc
When Death smiles, Corpsmen smile back
It's that time of year again. Time for baked beans and that's exactly what you'll need, time. It's not labor intensive but it's an all day affair that will require you to tend your beans every hour, or so, for about 6 to 8 hrs. They do freeze well, so if you plan it right you'll only have to do this a couple or three times a year. Here in New England we eat them for breakfast , cold, as a substitute for potato salad at barbecues and especially on Saturday night with ham or hot dogs. You'll need one special piece of equipment, one of these:
They're not difficult to find and not terribly expensive. One caution, never pick up the pot by its ears. They're for looks, not for lifting.
They're not difficult to find and not terribly expensive. One caution, never pick up the pot by its ears. They're for looks, not for lifting.
Ingredients:
2lbs dried Beans. You may use Army beans, Navy beans (aka pea beans) yellow eye beans or Great Northern beans. You know, American beans. None of that foreign stuff.
1/2 cup Molasses
1/2 cup Maple syrup. If you don't have this you can double up on the molasses. It'll still be authentic.
1 medium onion, peeled
2lbs dried Beans. You may use Army beans, Navy beans (aka pea beans) yellow eye beans or Great Northern beans. You know, American beans. None of that foreign stuff.
1/2 cup Molasses
1/2 cup Maple syrup. If you don't have this you can double up on the molasses. It'll still be authentic.
1 medium onion, peeled
6 oz salt pork
2 tbls sugar
Heaping tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ginger.
2 tbls sugar
Heaping tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ginger.
2 1/2 cups boiling water
Night before
Sort and pick through your beans. Pick out the obviously ugly ones and look for stones. You don't want to break a tooth. Rinse them well and soak them over night in 8 or more quarts of water.
Bean day
Drain the beans and put into a large pot. Fill with fresh cold water to just barely over the top of the beans. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for about 25 to 45 min. Beans are ready when you can take a spoonful of them, blow on them and the skins burst. It's never taken me more than 30 min. to do this.
While this is all going on pre-heat your bean pot with hot water and oven to 300 degrees. In a 2qt sauce pan, bring the water, molasses and syrup to a boil, take off of the heat and add the dry ingredients. Place whole onion in the bottom of the pot and drained beans on top of it. Place the salt pork on a cutting board, skin side down . Cut into aprox. 1 in. cubes without cutting through the skin. Push the salt pork into the beans so only the skin is showing. Add water mixture. The liquid should come to a little less than the top of the beans.if it doesn't add water until it does. Cover and place in oven. Check every hour and add hot water as needed so the liquid stays at the level you started at. Remove the cover for the last hour of cooking. They're done when they are tender. My beans are usually done in about six hrs. It depends on the beans. If you like baked beans out of can, you should really try this recipe. You'll never open another can.
