· Day 1, evening: sort the beans, wash them and put them to soak overnight.
· Day 2, early morning: drain the beans, cover with fresh water and boil them for an hour or more
· Day 2, a little later: put the beans in the slow cooker, add flavorings, and set them to cook all day.
· Day 2, evening: the beans are ready to eat.
I’ll describe how I prepare traditional “baked beans, Boston style” in a slow cooker. In the era of wood-fueled cook stoves that provided both a cooktop and heat for the kitchen, the oven was hot most of the time on cold, winter days. Thus, beans could be baked in a ceramic bean pot all day. Most of us do not keep our electric or gas ovens hot all day, so I’ve experiment with a modern slow cooker and found that it can be used to make satisfactory “baked beans.”
I make a large batch of beans, but you can adjust the quantities to suit your needs and your equipment. My 6-quart pot and 5-quart slow cooker are at maximum capacity with this recipe. If I had a larger pot and a larger cooker, I’d use them.
These are vegetarian baked beans, unlike the traditional Boston baked beans which include salt pork. Like most traditional recipes, variations work well. Onions, for example, are an optional ingredient. I make an ample quantity, using 2 pounds of dry beans. These directions can be adjusted to suit a smaller quantity.
· A large pot, 6 quart capacity or preferably larger
· Slow cooker: 5 quart capacity or larger
· 2 pounds dried beans—navy beans, yellow-eye beans, northern beans or something similar
· 2/3 cup molasses
· 1 tablespoon salt
· 2 teaspoons dried mustard (powder)
· 2 medium onions, sliced
· Optional: salt pork, bacon or ham
· Day 1, evening: sort the beans, wash them and put them to soak overnight.
It is important to look through the beans carefully. Discard damaged or discolored beans, but more importantly, look for small stones that may have gotten harvested with the beans.
Next, wash the beans in two or three changes of cold water. Drain them. Put the beans in the large pot and cover with cold water to fill the pot at least two thirds full. The beans will swell up as they soak.
The first step is quick. Drain the beans and cover them with fresh water. They will continue to expand, so you need plenty of water. Put the pot on medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Be ready to turn down the heat as soon as it boils. This is where a larger pot would be an advantage. Beans can boil over rather suddenly as they come to a boil.
I usually boil the beans for at least an hour. The test is to hold a few beans in a spoon and blow on them. If the skins peel back, the beans are done. At this point, I eat the beans I have tested. If they seem slightly crunchy, I cook them a little longer, and then repeat the crunch test. I cook them until I find the texture satisfactory.
While the beans are cooking, slice the onions. Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with half the sliced onions.
I use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked beans to the slow cooker. I want to keep the liquid the beans cooked in. I put about half the beans in the slow cooker, then add the rest of the sliced onion, then the rest of the beans.
I pour out two cups of the cooking liquid into a measuring cup, and then add the molasses, salt and dried mustard. Stir these together well and pour the mixture over the beans in the slow cooker. Add enough of the remaining liquid to nearly cover the beans.
Day 2, evening: the beans are ready to eat.
Happy Cooking,
Ruth Ann