- 2 pounds white beans (northern or
navy beans)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (optional, if
you like your beans sweet)
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of tap
water. Or, you can bring them to a boil on
the stove and then turn them off; cover them
and let them sit for an hour or two. The
point of this is to reconstitute them some,
making them easier to cook.
After the initial preparation, boil your
beans on the back of the stove for about 30
to 45 minutes. They won't be perfectly soft,
but they will be almost soft. Drain off the
cooking water. In a very large casserole (4
quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt,
dry mustard, molasses, sugar, onion, olive
oil and liquid smoke to taste. Add enough
hot water to barely come to the top of the
beans. Put a lid on the casserole, or tin
foil. Bake the beans at 300° for about 5 to
7 hours. They will be tender, fragrant and
delicious. My kids love this stuff. The
cooked beans may be frozen in 2-cup portions
to substitute for canned baked beans or
canned pork'n'beans in any recipe. They make
a good main dish, or a side dish for a large
crowd. This recipe serves about 16. I make
such a large amount so I can have plenty of
leftovers to freeze.
Another way to cook this, good in the
summertime, is to use a crock pot. Boil the
soaked beans for 30 minutes, as directed
above. Then, instead of combining everything
in a casserole, combine them in the crock
pot instead. Put the lid on the Crock Pot
after you've mixed everything up in it, and
cook it on High for about 3 or 4 hours, or
on low for 8 to 10 hours. You can position a
folded dish towel on top of the lid if your
crock pot doesn't get quite hot enough to
cook beans normally. The dish towel helps
maintain a temperature hot enough to just
barely simmer the beans. Serve with Corn
Casserole, Mixed Greens and Oatmeal Muffins
or Whole Wheat Bread.
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