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Boston Baked Beans

Home   Recipes for Pulses, Grains, Seeds, Flakes, Flour, Ferments...   Boston Baked Beans
Beans Flageolet Beans Mustard seed New World Phaseolus beans Pulses Supper

by Amy Elysia February 12, 2025

Finished in the oven, rich and sweet Boston baked beans are an American classic perfect for cold winter nights. 

The origins of Britain's beloved baked beans lie across the pond in the USA. Early European settlers took inspiration from Native American beans cooked with maple syrup. In the 18th century the maple syrup was replaced with molasses, abundant in Boston from the trade in sugar and rum.

Beans cooked with small amounts of meat are common across many cultures, as an economical way to make expensive meat go a long way. When buying bacon do choose carefully, much pig production is fraught with unstainable practices (read more in our blog post Soy No More: Breaking the UK's dependence on imported soy). In this recipe Amy used Dorset pancetta with rosemary from The Real Cure - a cured and air dried free range pork belly.

Pork is a traditional ingredient in Boston Baked Beans but you may prefer to leave it out - try adding dried mushrooms, our fava bean umami paste or oak smoked water instead.

As always soaking your beans is not necessary, if you forget the night before, don’t panic but just add an hour to the bean's initial cooking time.

These beans are quite sweet so serve them with something bitter or acidic. Our recipe for Yellow Pea ‘Cornbread’ with Lime & Chilli would make a traditional American pairing. But baked potato, slaw and salad would be great. Or simply over toast.

Ingredients

  • 250g Flageolet Beans, soaked overnight (see notes)
  • 1 Onion, half finely diced
  • 1 Carrot
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic, half roughly chopped
  • 1 Stick of Celery
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 100g Pancetta or Bacon, cut into small chunks (optional - see notes)
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seed, roughly ground
  • 75g Molasses

Method

  1. Take a heavy ovenproof pan with a lid or Dutch oven and add your beans, carrot, half onion, celery stick, 2 whole garlic cloves and salt. Fill with enough water to cover the beans by an inch.
  2. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 mins or until the beans are tender, but not overcooked.
  3. Remove the carrot, onion, celery and garlic. Drain the beans, but keep all the cooking liquid.
  4. Return the pan to the stove, add a very small amount of oil and heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat starts to render out. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is golden and bacon crisp. Add the mustard seed and cook for a further minute.
  5. Add the molasses, beans and bay leaf to the pan, with enough of the bean cooking liquid to cover the beans. Bring to a simmer.
  6. Cover with a lid and place in the oven at 160C for 3 hours. Check the beans every 30/ 45 mins and top up with enough liquid to keep the beans covered. Use the remainder of the cooking liquid, but once that runs out use boiling water.
  7. In the final 30 mins allow the liquid to cook down into a thick sauce. You're looking for the beans to be tender, with most holding their shape, but a few falling apart.
  8. Remove from the oven and season to taste with salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar. The beans are quite sweet so be generous with vinegar as this will balance the richness.
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