Maple Beans

prep time:: 20 min
total time:: 8 hr 20 mins.

A panful

This is a great recipe for homemade baked beans. But you won’t want them out of the can anymore! If possible, use the kind of beans you get in Maine...yellow eye beans, or soldier beans. Be careful not to use too large a bean like a pinto bean...it takes forever for them to cook!

ingredients

2 lbs. dry beans
1 medium onion
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 lbs. salt pork...or use bacon
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 C. dark maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

directions

1
Put the beans in a pot and cover with water, soak overnight. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about one hour. They’re ready if you can get the skins to sluff off. Drain the water, but keep it!
2
Place the onion in the bottom of a bean pot or heavy casserole. Pour the beans into the pot, put the bacon or salt pork on top in slices. In a bowl, mix the maple syrup, mustard, ginger and salt and pepper. Add one cup of the bean water in and stir, pouring this over the beans.
3
Add more bean water until it gets to one inch above the beans, bake in the oven for 6-8 hours, maybe longer, at 250 degrees.

Source: Geri Wagner