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Simple Boston Baked Beans


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Simple Boston Baked Beans

"I guess God made Boston on a wet Sunday." Raymond Chandler

By Meathead Goldwyn

They don't call it Beantown for naught. For it was in Boston that the notion of mixing beans with molasses was conceived and still reaches the peak of perfection there.

Because beans can be dried and stored forever, they have been a popular source of protein for centuries. In France, stewed or baked beans reached their zenith in cassoulet, a recipe for beans baked in an earthenware pot with sausages, poultry, pork, and even pork skins. In Spain it was Alubias con Arroz, Beans and Rice, often perked up with chorizo, a spicy sausage, or another version without the rice called Fabada. In Portugal it is Feijoada, beans, beef, and pork stewed together. In Germany Westphalian Stew was built on with bacon and beans.

 

The Boston bean tradition may have been pilfered from native North Americans. The Penobscot tribe in Maine was known to cook beans by digging a hole in the ground, lining it with large rocks, heating them by starting a wood fire, and then placing a clay pot of beans in the hole, covering it with dirt, and letting it simmer for up to eight hours. Scissors-32x32.png

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Recipe

Makes. About 4 servings of about 1 cup each

Takes. 1 hour prep time, 2 to 3 hours cooking time

Ingredients

6 strips thick bacon or 1/4 pound pork fatback

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

2 (15 ounce) cans of Navy or pea beans

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

About the beans. If you use dried beans, use 1/2 pound and follow the instructions in my article The Science of Beans for soaking them. Plan on them taking hours to soften. Start soaking at least 24 hours before serving time.

Amping them up. Add up to 1/2 pound of leftover barbecue rib meat or pulled pork or beef brisket at the same time you add the beans. Now that's what I'm talking 'bout!

Optional add-ins. At the beginning of the cook, add a pinch of cinnamon and/or a pinch of ground powdered cloves. A teaspoon of lemon juice and/or some diced jalapeños just before serving can provide lift.

Method

1) You can cook on a stovetop, in your indoor oven, in your smoker under the meat, or on your grill for 2-zone cooking. Here's how to do them on the grill or smoker, but the concepts are the same for each approach.

2) Over the hot part of the grill, on the sideburner, or indoors on your stovetop, warm a 9 x 13" pan and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until brown on both sides, but remove it before it is hard and crunchy. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and save it in the fridge for another day.

3) Add the onion and cook until it is limp, but not brown. The bacon residue on the bottom of the pan may get really dark. If this happens, add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the bottom, and scrape off this flavorful fond with a wooden spoon. As the water evaporates, the onions will fry and sizzle.

 

4) Add 2 cups hot water or stock. If Scissors-32x32.pnghttp://amazingribs.com/recipes/beans/boston_baked_beans.html

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Why molasses?

Molasses is important because in colonial days Boston was a major importer of the sugar syrup from the Caribbean. It was made into rum which was sent to Africa to trade for slaves who were sent to the Caribbean to make more molasses.

The Great Molasses Flood in 1919 killed 21 people and injured more than 100 when a vat exploded and unleashed more than 2,000,000 gallons of the sticky stuff. According to newspaper reports, 30 foot waves of molasses crashed through the streets destroying buildings and sweeping away horses and wagons.

There are three grades of molasses and any one will work in this recipe. Click here to read more about molasses.

The regional bean recipes of the US

Beans are an important part of American culinary heritage. This section contains the canon of American bean dishes, always found accompanying local versions of barbecue.

· Boston Baked Beans

· Grannies Texas Beans

· Hoppin' John Beans & Rice

· New Orleans Red Beans & Rice

· Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Baked Beans

Drunken Frijoles from Californiaall but 1 tablespoon of the fat and save it in the fridge for another day.

 

3) Add the onion and cook until it is limp, but not brown. The bacon residue on the bottom of the pan may get really dark. If this happens, add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the bottom, and scrape off this flavorful fond with a wooden spoon. As the water evaporates, the onions will fry and sizzle.

4) Add 2 cups hot water or stock. If

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