Boston Baked Beans & Brown Bread

I admit, I don't always cook. During those times, my husband woiuld just take

From boston baked beans

whatever he finds appealing in the pantry. One of his fave canned foods is the baked beans, served with brown bread. My stepd would only eat the beans. Both of them like to eat these with hotdogs. I would eat same but only because so he has someone to share that with. My sons don't like them; they'd rather eat whatever leftovers we have. I'd like to eat what I could before giving the rest to the pigs/chickens.

This baked beans reminds me of Hunt's "pork and beans" back in the Philippines, although that one is more tomato-based, and maybe because I grew up with that, I preferred it over this baked beans.

One time my MIL invited us over for supper, and she prepared baked beans. That was the first time I tasted the homemade baked beans, and I LOVED IT! My husband also loved it, and there really is no comparison between the homemade one and the canned one.

brown bread

Now with our annual trip to Greenville, I saw last year the specific pot used for this purpose in an Indian store, and I vowed to get it the next time we went there, which was late this fall (when all red/orange leaves have fallen off the trees), especially that the sight-seeing purpose of the trip was lost already. I at least should get that pot. And I cooked this for the first time. I asked my husband to

dry mustard

soak the navy/pea beans that night around 9 pm while I was at work and told him to soak with enough water to allow for the beans' expansion. Silly me, I did not check the recipe. It specified 6 cups! So I ended up estimating the amount of water to boil the beans in, and kinda ended up with a soupy dish, which my husband told me he loved better (than drier), and even loved it more the next day when he was eating the leftover. I still served it up with brown bread (which my husband suggested when I mentioned I wanted to make baked beans.) One thing funny as well was when I went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients and had a hard time finding the dry mustard, and I guessed it was the powdered mustard as there was nothing else that was dry. Good thing I guessed it right!

I used the smoked pork fat back (which I also used for my chicharon) and I loved the effect. Now I just gotta get my kids to start acquiring the taste for baked beans.

This recipe is found in a card that was tied to the beanpot. I made a point of copying that onto this page so that I will not have a hart time looking for it if I lose that card (which is so easy to do!)
Official Recipe:
For 2-1/2 qt Boston Beanpot
Bake at 300 deg for 3-1/2 hours
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) navy or pea beans
1/4 pound salt pork, cut in 2 pieces (I used 3/4 lb smoked pork fat back)
1 small whole onion, peeled
1 tsp dry mustard
8 cups water
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Soak beans overnight in a large suace pan in 6 cups of water. Add baking soda. Heat to boiling and simmer 10 minutes. Drain in colander ove a large bowl. Save liquid.

2. Place beans, salt pork and onion in the beanpot. Add molasses, salt, sugar, dry mustard, pepper and a cup of water. Stir thoroughly. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cover the beanpot.

3. Bake 2 hours at 300 degrees. Add the rest of the water and stir again. Bake additioanl 1-1/2 hours (or until beans are tender.) Uncover last 1/2 hour.