ISO Boston baked beans traditional & custom recipes

[chubbs]

I never made it before & never tried it either.I'm curious,what makes boston baked beans boston baked beans?Lol.I will list what ingredients I have.And how much I have of each,not planning to use stated weights of course lol.Just giving idea of how much I have.
12oz Hormel salt pork
2lbs Navy beans
1.66oz ground mustard
2lb dark brown sugar
12oz grandma's molasses:robust
Yellow onion & large(1.5lb) TX sweet onion
Salt(himalayan pink,Real salt brand:fine,diamondcrystalsalt:Kosher)
Medley peppercorn(black, white, green, and pink peppercorns, whole allspice, and whole coriander)
Worcestershire sauce & Ketchup
Garlic powder & fresh garlic

I would like a traditional/authentic recipe & a tweaked one(if you got one).I was in a huge hurry going to the store lastnight,grabbed grandma's molasses:robust thinking the original wasn't unsulphured.Turns out both are unsulphured.
Robustarker, more concentrated and less sweet than the Original. It’s made of a blend of “first molasses,” which is what remains once the sugarcane juice has crystallized.Idk how this would effect the overall flavor of this dish not using regular molasses.Oh yeah,I don't have a dutch oven but do have a slow cooker.

 

[lyndalou]

My guess is that there are as many methods of making "quthentic" Boston baked beans as there are families in Massachusetts.

 

[Andy M.]

BBB is peasant food. Basic ingredients simply cooked.

You have a good collection of ingredients for BBB. Save the fancy salt and peppercorns for other dishes. Use the kosher salt and black peppercorns for the BBB. NO KETCHUP or worcestershire.

Consider adding some bacon to get the smoky bacon flavor.

 

[pacanis]

Is it just me, or do BBB's seem to use a smaller bean?
I remember eating them at Howard Johnson's back in the day, which I believe originated up there in New England somewhere? And BBB were always small and dark. And every time I've had them since they looked the exact same way, small and dark. Perhaps getting their color from the molasses instead of ketchup? But they are always a smaller, firmer bean.

 

[Andy M.]

Yup. HoJo's originated in MA.

BBB are darkened by the molasses and by baking for part of the time with the lid off the bean pot.

There is never any tomato in BBB. Some folks choose to add ketchup at the table.

 

[Addie]

Is it just me, or do BBB's seem to use a smaller bean?
I remember eating them at Howard Johnson's back in the day, which I believe originated up there in New England somewhere? And BBB were always small and dark. And every time I've had them since they looked the exact same way, small and dark. Perhaps getting their color from the molasses instead of ketchup? But they are always a smaller, firmer bean.

We use pea beans. And we soak them overnight. You are right. No ketchup. Remember the Pilgrims didn't have ketchup or Worcestershire or any of the exotic spices available to them when they made Boston Baked Beans. Just molasses and brown sugar. The molasses do make them darker. I use to use dark brown sugar as to the light.

Start with soaking the beans overnight. Drain the next morning, dispose of soaking water. Place the beans in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer. Low boil, until when you blow on a bean the skin splits. About 30 minutes. No Salt in the cooking water. Drain, reserving the water. Cut the salt pork into pieces. Do not remover the rind. It will soften during the cooking. Place some pieces of salt pork in the bottom on the casserole or bean pot. A layer of cooked beans, some of the molasses and sugar, repeat until all the ingredients are in the casserole. Pour reserved water over the beans making sure the beans are covered. If there is not enough of the reserved water, add some. Cover and cook in a 225ºF oven for eight hours. Check periodically to make sure the beans have not gone dry. If the water is too low, add more water to just barely cover until the last hour.

Starting around the fifth hour start testing the beans at least once an hour. Stir. It will look like they are not taking on any color. But during the last hour, all of a sudden they will look like real baked beans. The can of beans you buy are much lighter than what yours will look like. But yours will have a stronger flavor of baked beans.

No baking soda, and if you think they may need a little salt, go easy. Remember they have the salt pork. Try to use a piece of salt pork that has a large streak of meat through it. You can also add some thick sliced bacon to the mixture for meat flavor. But keep in mind that too has salt added. Cut the bacon into pieces. Maybe three cuts on each piece of bacon.

A cold chilly day is the perfect time to make these. Having the oven on all day will help heat the house. Around hour five or six the aroma will beging to permeate your home. The traditional side is Brown Bread or corn bread.

Good luck.

 

[pacanis]

Pea beans... assuming there's a noticeable difference between pea beans and navy beans that must be it. Thanks.

 

[mcnerd]

In looking at the recipe 2 lbs of Brown Sugar seems like a lot. My own similar recipe only uses 2 Tbls and other recipes I've seen have up to 1 cup. Thoughts?

Here's a variation that includes onions. As previously mentioned, there is nothing formal needed for good beans and variations are encouraged for the pallet:

Baked Beans

1 pound dry navy or soldier beans
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup dark brown sugar -- firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large white onion -- quartered
1/4 pound salt pork or slab bacon -- cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

Oven Temperature: 300°F

1. Place the beans in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover by three inches. Let stand at least 10 hours. Drain and transfer to a large saucepan.

2. Add just enough water to cover. Let simmer, adjusting the water level so the beans remain just covered, until the skins open readily, about 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the molasses, vinegar, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water.

4. Drain the beans. Place the onion in a 2-quart Dutch oven. Add the beans.

5. Cover with the salt pork or bacon. Cover with the molasses mixture.

6. Cover Dutch oven and bake, checking often, until the beans are tender, the meat is falling apart, and the liquid is thick and bubbly, about 6 hours. Add more water (or even a second batch of the molasses mixture) if the beans start to dry out.

Web Page: Baked Beans Recipe | MyRecipes.com