When the topic of baked beans comes up, for many the conversation starts and stops at Boston baked beans.
Bringing together smoky bacon, spicy ground cloves and oh-so-sweet brown sugar, Boston baked beans are the quintessential baked bean recipe.
This recipe is for all the Boston bean lovers out there! It’s as traditional of a baked bean recipe as they come and it’s perfect for your spring and summer cookouts.
One of the keys to this dish is sauteeing the onions ahead of time. This gives them a chance to become less bitter as they soften and caramelize to give the dish extra hints of sweet and savory. These flavors burst through and pair well with other elements in the recipe like molasses and brown sugar.
Another secret for sensational baked beans? The longer you cook them the better they’ll be! The brown sugar and molasses get even thicker and the smoky flavors get more time to develop in the heat.
For a truly authentic Boston baked beans meal, be sure to serve it with a thick slice of brown bread like they did back in the old days. These beans make a great side dish or a great meal all of their own! This recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. butter, (or margarine)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 1/2 cups of Randall Great Northern Beans, drained
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 tsp. dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 3 slices good smoked bacon, diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- In a small skillet, sauté the onion for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the onion, beans, sugar, molasses and seasonings.
- Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Top with the bacon pieces.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Baked beans are the ultimate summertime, backyard barbecue food! We can’t get enough of them and we hope you can’t too.
