Packed FULL of flavor and easy to make in your slow cooker!
And a little history lesson about the day a molasses flash flood hit the streets of Boston. Seriously.
It was 95 years ago. A massive storage tank (50 feet tall/90 feet wide) holding sticky thick molasses suddenly burst. It sent nearly 2.5 MILLION GALLONS of molasses down the streets of Boston! The highest wave of molasses reached 25 feet at its peak and came rushing at a speed of 35 miles per hour. People and horses, waist high in molasses, struggled to move. To imagine the scene would almost be comical were it not for the fact that it left disaster in its wake with over 100 injuries and nearly two dozen deaths. It took two weeks with 300 people at a total of 87,000 man-hours to clean it up. To put that into perspective, that’s 10 years of around-the-clock work for one person. This almost century-ago tragedy became known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, truly one of the strangest disasters in American history. Boston folklore has it that on some hot Summer nights you can still catch the scent of molasses in the air.
You may be wondering, why on earth was there a tank holding so much molasses – 2.5 million gallons – in the first place?? Molasses is something that most of us have in our kitchen cupboards but rarely use. On average most of us probably go through less than a jar per year. But that’s today. A century and more ago, molasses was the most common sweetener used. And it was even used for making…beans. Boston gets its nickname “Beantown” from a favorite dish popular since Colonial times: Beans baked for several hours in…you got it – molasses!
Boston baked beans still traditionally call for molasses. This recipe stays true to form and also includes maple syrup, brown sugar, cloves, mustard, and of course salt pork for a hearty batch of Boston baked beans so full of flavor the taste and aroma will have you coming back for seconds!
Let’s get started!
You’ll need a pound of dried white beans.
Soak them in water overnight, rinse and drain them. For a quicker method, place the dried beans in a large pot of water, at least 4 inches above the beans. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 1 hour. Drain and proceed with recipe as instructed.
Dice up the salt pork (or bacon) into 1/4 inch cubes.
Spread out 1/2 of the salt in the bottom of the slow cooker. Use the fattiest pieces on the bottom.
Next add 1/2 of the beans, then all of the onion and the bay leaf.
Add the remaining beans and the rest of the salt pork.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour the liquid over the beans. It should just cover them. Cover and cook on “LOW” for 8 hours.
Add salt and brown sugar to taste.
Enjoy!
- 1 pound dried white beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained (see Note for quick method)
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)
- ½ pound salt pork, cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups hot water
- Spread out half of the salt pork on the bottom of the slow cooker. Use the fattiest pieces. Add half of the beans, then all of the onions, then the bay leaf. Add the remaining beans, then the salt pork.
- In a bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients, adding the water last after the other ingredients have been stirred until combined. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the beans. They should be just covered. Shut the lid of the slow cooker and cook on the "LOW" setting for 8 hours. Add salt and brown sugar to taste.
Mary Allen says
Next time I’ll cook the beans till soft before putting in slow cooker. 11 hours before they got soft after soaking for 12 hours. I’ll listen to Nana who said never add the sugar until the beans are soft.Beans from a local producer, so not stale. Great flavors, but supper not on time!
Craig says
Here’s what I did on this recipe….first and foremost I followed it and my beans had a lot of uncooked ones…some were fine others not so much. I let them soak overnight almost 10 hours before I put them in the crock pot…perhaps the quick method would be better?
The flavor was excellent! However I added a little twist and it added some great flavor: 1.) a pinch of nutmeg 2.) a pinch of cinnamon and the clincher was 3.) a nip bottle of Cabin Fever maple whiskey
The beans were quite watery at the 8 hour mark…stirred them a lot cooked for additional 2 hours….totaling 10 hours and let them cool for an hour…..still some hard beans :( BUT the flavor was incredible!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Craig! I’ve had the same thing happen to me – I’ll make the recipe exactly the same way as usually do and end up with a bad batch of beans. The same thing has happened to me when making chili. I’ve realized it has everything to do with the beans themselves and how fresh they are. And though it shouldn’t be that way, just because they were recently bought from the store unfortunately doesn’t mean they’re fresh. It’s frustrating because the outcome of a dish can be so unpredictable as a result. I’ve found that sticking to a brand of beans that you know and trust is important for getting consistent results. Hopefully your next batch of beans will turn out like they’re supposed to! In any case, I’m glad to hear you liked the flavor and thanks for the feedback about your additions!
Trents Gigi says
for double recipe do you need to cook for longer time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Trents Gigi – no, it should be the same amount of time. Just check the beans for doneness and cook a little longer if necessary.
Trents Gigi says
ok thank you is first time making beans from scratch so I want them to be right.
Jessica says
Trying this recipe tomorrow, have the beans soaking as we speak! The only thing is, I’m doubling the recipe. Any suggestions on something I should do differently? :) Can’t wait! (& neither can my hubby)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jessica! No, you don’t have to do anything differently – just double away! :)
Jessica says
Just two more hours left! I’m excited.. We are going to have them for the hockey game tonight.. Lol. They still look pretty watery, is this normal for the remaining hours? Sorry for all the questions.. This is actually my first time making homemade beans :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Woohoo! Yep, watery is normal during the early stages still until the beans swell up and absorb the liquid. If they’re still more liquidy than you prefer at the end, simply open the lid of the slow cooker and cook a little longer until some of the liquid is evaporated. Enjoy dinner and the hockey game! :)
peggy says
Anybody knows how many cans (and size of can) of white beans to use instead of using dry?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Peggy, it would be just under 4 (15 ounce) cans of beans.
Karen says
Yum, Yum, Yum!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Karen!