Boston Beans

madnad

I first heard of Boston Beans on one of the many American cooking shows shown on FoodNetwork. I made them for the first time a couple of Halloweens ago, and served with potato wedges. I had a hankering for cheese scones recently, and my husband suggested Boston Beans to go with it. It works so well.

What makes Boston Beans different to your regular baked beans is the addition of molasses, or as it is known here, black treacle. The sweet almost smoky treacle works well with the pork. Traditionally the recipe has bacon, but I prefer to use chunks of pork belly. It means you get nice bite size chunks of meat. This is more than just a dish, this is almost a meal in itself. The bacon brings a slight smokyness to the taste of the beans, so I compensate with the addition of a little liquid smoke.

The good think about this dish is that it involves very little effort on your part, before a long slow cook. It keeps well in the fridge for several days, and even tastes better the next day.

Boston Beans

Ingredients

  • 500g Diced Pork Belly (or streaky bacon)
  • 1 Medium Onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves Garlic (crushed)
  • 2 Tins 400g White Haricot Beans
  • 3 tablespoons Molasses (or Black Treacle)
  • 50g Soft Brown Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon English Mustard Powder
  • 3 tablespoons Tomato Puree
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 1 / 140°C / 275°F
2. Add the chopped pork to a casserole dish with a little olive oil, and over a low-medium heat, cook until the pork starts to render and get slightly crispy
3. Add the onions and stir through. Cook for a few minutes until the onions start to soften, then add the garlic
4. Tip the tins of beans into the casserole dish, water and all, then add enough cold water to cover (about 1 pint). Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer
5. Add the molasses, mustard powder, salt, sugar, garlic, tomato puree, liquid smoke and Worcestershire Sauce and mix together
6. Put the lid on the dish and bake in the oven for 3 hours
7. Take the lid off and stir the contents, then place back in the oven. Cook for a further hour stirring occasionally until thickened. If they look too dry, add a spot of warm water
8. Serve while hot. They are great on toast, with barbecued meats, jacket potatoes or over cheese scones

Note

The baked beans will keep in the fridge, in a sealed jar or tupperware container, for two weeks. You can also freeze any leftovers.

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