Make delicious Boston baked beans slowly — very slowly
The deep flavor and creamy texture of Boston baked beans is the product of simple, yet judiciously chosen ingredients and slow — very slow — cooking. It seemed a natural recipe to adapt to the slow cooker and, given our location, we were under pressure to get this recipe just right.
We wanted our slowcooker “baked” beans to have all the flavor and texture of the real deal and began by determining the correct ratio of water to beans. Once we had evenly tender beans throughout, we focused on building flavor with traditional ingredients – salt pork, onion, molasses, brown sugar and bay leaves went into the slow cooker.
The flavor was decent but not deep enough, and the texture of the salt pork was not appealing. We decided it was necessary to pull out a skillet to render the fat from the salt pork and soften the onion first, which made the salt pork palatable and greatly intensified the flavors of the dish.
To brighten things up at the end of cooking, spicy mustard and a splash of cider vinegar went in, along with a touch more molasses to round out the acidity. Don’t use dark or blackstrap molasses, which will become bitter tasting in the slow cooker. Be sure to let the beans sit and finish thickening for 10 minutes before serving.
For more recipes,
cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit www.americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Boston Baked Beans in “The Complete Slow Cooker .”
Microwave onion, salt pork, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in water, beans, 2 tablespoons molasses, 2 tablespoons sugar, and bay leaves. Cover and cook in a 4- to 7-quart slow cooker until beans are tender, 8 to 9 hours on high.
Discard bay leaves. Drain beans, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Return beans to now-empty slow cooker. Stir in reserved cooking liquid, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, remaining 3 tablespoon molasses, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cover and cook on high until beans are thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 532 calories; 194 calories from fat; 22 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 21 mg cholesterol; 820 mg sodium; 67 g carbohydrate; 12 g fiber; 22 g sugar; 19 g protein.