Mom's New England Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried navy beans
• 1/4 lb bacon (uncooked, cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff here)
• 2 teaspoons dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water

Directions

1. 1

   Soak beans in a pan of water overnight then drain before cooking.

2. 2

   Boil the soaked beans until the skins crack when you blow on them. (With a spoon, lift some out of the boiling water and blow on them. If the skins crackle, they are done.) This step is important because the beans don't soften up any more while baking, and you don't want them to be too hard.

3. 3

   Drain the beans and place them in your bean pot (any ceramic piece will do as long as it has a lid).

4. 4

   Add uncooked bacon and chopped onion.

5. 5

   In a sauce pan, bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil.

6. 6

   Once everything is melted and combined, pour the mixture over the beans in the pot.

7. 7

   Make sure the liquid covers the beans. If not, then add more water.

8. 8

   Bake in covered pot at 250 degrees for about 4 hours. Check periodically to make sure the liquid level does not get too low. They will thicken as they bake, but you should have a little juice so they are not too dry.

9. 9

   The beans will be dark brown, and thick when they are done.