Boston Baked Beans

There is no easier meals than crock pot cooking.   Throw it in the pot in the morning on low and let it cook all day.  No fuss, no rush at the end of the day, and the house always smells delicious!  I love my crockpot, and other then my coffee maker it is the most used item in my kitchen!  Well, after my mixer.  Like I said, I love my crockpot. ~B

These beans are GREAT for Pot Lucks and family get togethers!

• 4 cups navy beans (rinsed and sorted)
• 12 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried mustard
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 lb salt pork (cubed) or bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• pinch garlic
• 1 jigger Worcestershire Sauce or Red Wine vinegar

This recipe comes in 2 parts and takes about 18 hours.  I like to start the beans the day before, while Im cleaning up that nights supper dishes.

Step ONE: Cooking the beans.

Rinse the beans and pick out the bad ones.  Place beans, water, onion, pork, and salt in the Crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for about 12-13 hours.

Step TWO:  Making them yummy!

Drain the cooked beans, keeping about 2 cups of the juice.   In a large bowl mix that juice you just saved with all the other ingredients (dried mustard, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, bell pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire Sauce)  I use a whisk, it incorporates it all better.

Return the beans to the crockpot, and pour the ketchup mixture of them.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

If you do like I do and start these after dinner the day before you need them…
the beans will be done around 8-9 am, by the time you add the sauce to make them yummy and that cooks up together, it will be Noonish and done in perfect time to get them to that potluck still warm!

*Im sure you can speed this recipe up by soaking the beans over night and then just cooking it all in one day, but I have never tried it that way.

Enjoy!