Good things come to those that wait. Baked beans are often served up mushy and ultra sweet. We used the gentle heat of the slow cooker to produce perfectly creamy beans that strike a winning balance of sweetness and rich smoke flavor.
Boston Baked Beans
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: The Perfect Portion
Recipe type: Sides
Makes: 12 Side dish portions
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Great Northern beans
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 thick-cut slices bacon, raw, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Place the beans in a large bowl or pot, and cover with 2 inches of water. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Soak overnight.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans.
- Add the chopped bacon and onion to the bottom of a slow cooker set to low heat. Top with the rinsed beans.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the water, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour the mixture on top of all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover, and let cook for 8 hours, or until beans are tender.
HELPFUL TIP: Most people believe that adding salt to beans as they cook will result in undercooked beans with a tough skin; however, soaking the beans in salted water to “brine” them (as is done in this recipe) has been shown to have the exact opposite effect, making for creamy and tender beans.
Serving size: ¼ cup Calories: 100
