A great attribute to baked beans, is that they can be a meal unto themselves or a sides for the whole week. A great help yourself meal for a crowd or just your family. Chock full of protein and fiber, with minimal prep and a lot of time in the crock pot, it's a true winner. I have yet to meet a person that will willingly turn down Boston Baked Beans...
Sam & Laura's Boston Baked Beans:
2 cups 'Great Northern' beans (dry measure, approximately one 16 oz. bag)
1 tsp. Salt
2 Ham Hocks
2 small Onions, quartered
5 tbsp. Molasses
4 tbsp. Brown Sugar (dark or light)
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
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Bacon, crisped and crumbled
prepared Mustard
salt
-Soak beans overnight. Cover the dry beans with about 2" of water head space.
-Once beans are soaked (about 1/2" of water head space should be remaining), stir in salt.
-Drain water, reserving it.
-Put beans, ham hocks and onions in crock pot.
-Taking a sauce pan, mix all other ingredients except bacon and prepared mustard. Cook over low heat until ingredients are completely combined, and warm. Do not boil.
-Pour sauce pan contents into the crock pot [with the beans, hocks, and onions], and stir to coat.
-Take your reserved salted water from draining the beans, and pour enough to cover crock pot ingredients.
-Bake on LOW overnight, or for 12 hours, stirring occasionally. Don't attempt to shorten the time by cooking on HIGH - It won't be the same, trust me.
-When beans are done, remove ham hocks.
-Mix in crisped bacon pieces before serving. At this point if you need/want to adjust the flavour of the beans a little, add prepared mustard and salt to taste.
This is what it looks like before cooking.
Don't worry if it looks soupy, the beans will absorb all the liquid goodness.
