Baked Beans, Boston Style
Submitted by Shorty
Classic Boston baked beans slow-cooked for 8 hours with molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, and a kick of cayenne. Crusty on top, creamy underneath. The real deal.
YIELD
4 - 6 ServingsPREP
20 minCOOK
8 hrsREADY
8 hrsWicked good baked beans the way Boston has been making them for generations. No shortcuts, no canned anything, just patience and a hot oven.
Soaked navy beans get boiled, drained, then mixed with a deeply flavored sauce of molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, tamari, and minced garlic. Bay leaves and big chunks of onion go in for backbone.
Then the whole pot goes into the oven covered, low and slow, for seven to eight hours. You check in now and then to top off the water, but otherwise you leave it alone and let time do its thing.
The last half hour is key. Pull off the lid and let the top form that signature dark, caramelized crust while the beans underneath stay creamy and saucy.
Pro Tips
- Keep the beans covered with water throughout baking. Check every hour or two and top off as needed.
- Don’t skip the uncovered finish. That crusty top is what separates real Boston baked beans from everything else.
- These are even better the second day. The flavors concentrate overnight in the fridge.
- Bakon yeast (nutritional yeast) adds a savory, almost smoky depth without any actual bacon.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Drain the beans, cover with fresh water, and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain again.
Whisk together the molasses, sugar, mustard, cayenne, bacon yeast, and tamari in a bowl, then mix with the beans and add the onions, bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Place in a bean pot or 2-quart baking dish and add water to cover the beans.
Cover and bake until the beans are very soft, 7 to 8 hours. Check periodically and add more water, if needed, to keep the beans from drying out. Remove the cover during the last half hour of cooking so a crust can form.
Comments
