Boston Baked Beans

This recipe at elevation--We live at 6500'. If you live at elevation you know beans are difficult and present a long process without a pressure cooker. Here's what it took to make this dish beginning with dried beans. I soaked the beans in cold water for 24 hrs. at room temp. After following the recipe (I did not deviate.) and putting the bean pot in the oven I found it was necessary to cook the beans for an hour longer than the recipe called for--removing the lid as noted in the last hour. I topped up the water in the bean pot only once--about 1/2 cup. Kind'a wish I had not. The beans would not cook to necessary creaminess without the extra hour. They are soft enough to eat but not of a creamy consistency inside. If you want the sauce to reduce to the consistency shown in the video you'll have to cook them longer or use less water overall. The end result was a thinner sauce but still very, very tasty. I served it with homemade brown bread, butter and cream cheese. AND, I'll make the recipe again but with less water. It was quite good.

This makes a most excellent pot of baked beans! I adapted it for our vegan household by omitting the salt pork, adding liquid smoke to make up for the change. For me, using a vintage or antique bean pot/jug is a must: there is no comparison between the beans made in a bean pot versus any other vessel. My bean pot holds only 3 quarts, so I simply halve the recipe. I love that you can use the beans without having to pre-boil them! By the 6 hour mark they are tender and suspended in a rich, thick sauce--perfect served as a main dish with brown or cornbread and a salad, as a delicious side, or even as beans on toast for brunch.

What size does the bean pot need to be?

I made these in my crockpot on high for 5 hours and used 1/8 tsp of ground cloves as I did not have whole cloves. They are now a favorite in our house! Thank you so much!!!

I made them in my crock pot. On low, 10 hours, then lid off 2 hours. I only put 4 cloves in the onion and the clove flavor was plenty. Also, no need to de-seed the canned plum tomatoes. Delicious on a baked potato, in a quesadilla, stuffed and baked in a tomato and of course as a side dish.

It does not say what size cans for the tomatoes.

This was so worth the time. You don't need to pay it any attention in the oven and it comes out perfectly!