Franks, beans, and brown bread were staples on the Saturday night supper menu for generations of Massachusetts families. This recipe for authentic Boston baked beans—no tomatoes allowed—comes from the city’s venerable Durgin-Park Restaurant.
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Ingredients:
2 1/2-quart bean pot or covered casserole
1 pound beans*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound salt pork
1/2 medium onion, peeled and uncut
4 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
*Use California pea beans, York State beans, or small white beans.
Soak beans overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Place the baking soda in a Dutch oven and fill half way with water. Bring to a boil and add the beans. Boil for ten minutes. Drain beans in a colander and run cold water through them. Set aside.
Dice the salt pork (available in the bacon section of the grocery store) into one-inch squares. Put half of the salt pork on the bottom of the bean pot, along with the onion. Add beans. Put the remaining salt pork on top of the beans.
Mix the sugar, molasses, mustard, salt, and pepper with three cups of hot water and pour over the beans. Cover pot with lid and place the pot into the preheated oven. Bake for six hours. Check pot periodically to monitor the amount of liquid. Add water to the beans slowly as needed to keep them moist; do not flood them. Remove the pot from the oven and serve.
Servings: Serves about seven (one-cup servings)
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