Boston Baked Beans

Credits

by Jasper White

Ingredients

• 1 lb navy beans, pea beans or other small dried white beans
• 1/2 lb salt pork
• 1 medium onion (medium dice)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup tomato concassee
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 4 tbs Coleman's dry mustard
• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbs cider vinegar

Directions

1. Place the beans in a pot or bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand overnight. The following morning, pick through the beans and discard off-colored or broken ones. Drain the beans.

2. Remove the rind from half pound salt pork, and cut into 1/2-inch squares; cut the other half into 3/4 to 1 inch think strips (4 or 5 strips)

3. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line the bottom of the eathenware crok or bean pot with the squares of salt pork and the onion. Place the beans on top.

4. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a saucepan and add the garlic, tomato concassee, salt, pepper, dry mustard, maple sugar, molasses, bay leaves and vinegar. Simmer for 1 minute. mix well and pour over beans.

5. Score the stips of salt pork crosswise, about every inch, without cutting through it. This will prvent the strips from curling while cooking. Place the strips on top of the beans and liquid, cover the pot and place in over.

6. Bake for 5 hours, checking ocassionally (first after 2 hours, then every hour), to be sure the liquid is just barley vovering the beans. Add more water as needed. After 5 hours, remove the cover of the bean pot and cook for 1 hour more. Remove the stips of salt pork and stir the pot before serving.