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 million gallons of the sticky stuff. According to newspaper reports, 30 foot waves of molasses crashed through the streets destroying buildings and sweeping with it horses and wagons.
Molasses are also important because, according to Food Network's Alton Brown, it helps keep the beans from disintegrating and the sulfur content in the syrup disarms the components in the beans that cause Dads to say "pull my finger." Not sure how this works, but if Alton says so, it must be true.
There are three grades of molasses and any one will work in this recipe. Click here to read more about molasses.
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Simple Boston Baked Beans
They don't call it Beantown for naught. For it was in Boston that the notion of mixing dried beans with molasses was conceived and still reaches the peak of perfection.
Because beans could 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, 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.
Boston became a major port of entry for goods to the colonies, and among the highest volume imports was molasses, dark cane sugar from the Caribbean. Nobody knows who had the bright idea of baking beans in a pot with salt pork and molasses, but the canned combo now occupies miles of shelf space in every American grocery. Well, you can buy it canned, with all the additives and artificial ingredients, or you can make it right, from scratch, with real molasses. And it's easy.
The original Boston Baked Beans were baked in a earthenware pot , but it can be made in just about any pot or saucepan. Many barbecue joints put them in the bottom of their smoker in a pan so they get some smoke flavor and dripping fat laden with rub from the meats.
Because this recipe takes so long, it is perfect for when you are cooking ribs or, doh, Boston Butt for pulled pork!
Recipe
Makes. About 4 servings as a side dish
Preparation time. 30 minutes
Cooking time. 4-5 hours
Ingredients
6 strips thick bacon
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 pound dried Navy beans or pea beans
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 teaspoon table salt
About the beans. You can use canned beans if you wish. Canned beans will cook much more quickly, in 30 to 60 minutes. If you use dried beans, follow the instructions there for soaking them. Don't discard the soaking liquid. It's got good stuff in it. Read my article The Zen of Beans first.
Optional add-ins. 1 bay leaf, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 cup ketchup, or Kansas City style barbecue sauce.
About the bacon. Feel free to substitute about 1/4 pound of pork fatback. You can use up to 1/4 pound of leftover rib meat or leftover pulled pork but you will need to use butter or another oil to cook the onion since there will be no bacon grease in the pan.
Do this
1) Soak the beans as described in my article The Zen of Beans. Set up our grill for 2-zone indirect cooking and preheat it to 300°F in the indirect zone. Get a large heavy pot with a lid, like a Dutch oven.
2) Over the hot part of the grill, warm a the pot and add the bacon, lid off. Grill top off, 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. If you are not using bacon and are using leftover barbecue meat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pot.
3) Add the onion and cook until it is limp, but not brown.
4) Add the molasses, mustard, salt, and stir. Cut the bacon into squares about 1/4" and add them. Add 5 cups of hot water and then the beans. Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, move the pot to the indirect side as far away from the heat as possible, stir, and cover it. Close the lid on the grill.
5) Every 30 minutes rotate the pot 1/4 a turn so one side is not always facing the heat, and stir, scraping the bottom, to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom and burning. If the beans begin to dry out, add water. After about 4 hours taste the beans to see if they're the right tenderness for you. If they are too runny, take the lid off. They may need another hour more. If you are impatient, switched to canned beans. They can be done in less than an hour. Exact cooking time will have to do with the variety of bean, your grill, the weather, and other variables. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more molasses if you like. A teaspoon of lemon juice can provide lift.
On your smoker. If you have a smoker, put the beans below the meat, uncovered, for 6 to 7 hours at 225°F. They will collect flavorful, smoky fatty drippings from the meat laden with seasoning from the rub. Check and stir every 30 minutes to be sure they don't burn or dry out. That's how the beans in the picture above were cooked.
In your oven. Put the pot in your oven uncovered for 4 hours at 300°F. Stir every 30 minutes to make sure they don't burn. Taste and continue cooking for up to another hour or 2 if needed. You can turn the temp down to 200°F and hold them for hours.
On a burner. You can make this recipe on a burner over a low simmer, but you must stir at least every 15 minutes and be vigilant about burning the bottom. Allow 5 to 6 hours.
This page was revised 8/31/2010
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