Directions: |
Directions:1. Wash the beans. Place in bowl and cover generously with cold water and soak overnight. Next morning drain the beans.
2. Rinse beans with cold water. Place in a pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Boil the beans for about 15 minutes or until the skins peel back when you blow upon a spoonful.
3. Drain the beans using a colander in a container so you save the liquid for later use. Rinse the beans with cold water.
4. Preheat the oven to 250º (to bake for eight hours) or 300º (to bake for six hours).
5. Cut two 1 inch square sections from the salt pork, then make about ¼ inch cuts in one direction down to, but not cutting through, the rind.
6. Put one section of salt pork and the onion cut in half in the bottom of the bean pot or casserole.
7. Combine in a separate measuring cup : ⅛ cup sugar, ¼ cup molasses, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup hot water. Mix thoroughly then set aside.
8. Add half of the saved liquid (from when the beans were boiled) to the pot. Add any additional regular water as necessary to bring the water level up to, but not covering, the top level of beans.
9. Pour about one quarter of the molasses mixture over the top of the beans.
10. Cover, then place the beans in the preheated oven. Bake for 5 hours. About every 1-1½ hours add enough saved liquid so the water level is at the mid point of the top layer of beans. Add some of the molasses mixture over the top of the beans each time.
11. Last hour remove cover and do not add more liquid so the top layer of beans brown. |
This recipe for Maine Baked Beans is from