Boston Baked Beans

It doesn't get better than this. My mother used to make these every Saturday for dinner served with cole slaw, ham or hot dogs and either home made biscuits or steamed brown bread.
On Sunday morning, my dad would have them with eggs and home fries. At lunch he would make a sandwich by mixing the beans with with mayo and a little onion.

Ingredients

1 lb of navy beans, rinsed and picked over
1/4 lb of salt pork
1/4 cup of dark molasses
1/2 tsp of dry mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight in water.

In the morning, throw away the water
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

In a dutch oven or large heavy sauce pan, add the beans and cover with fresh cold water
Add the salt pork to the pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer until the skin easily blows away from the beans. (scoop up a tbsp or so of beans and softly blow on them. The skin should slightly pull away from the beans)
Add the dry mustard, molasses and salt and pepper to the beans and salt pork.
Pour the beans and liquid into in a heavy bean pot with the lid. ( if there is an excessive amount of liuid, pour into a pitcher and use to continually "water' the beans throughout the day)
Place bean pot in preheated 300 degree oven.
Check beans periodically. If you cannot see any liquid, add the reserved liquid (or water if no extra bean liguid) just until it can be seen through the beans. It is important that you bake the beans not boil them. Cook all day.

About 1 hour before dinner time, add enough water or liquid to come to about a 1/8 inch above the beans. Now finish the baking with the pot uncovered for the remaing hour. Add more liquid if necessary.

To serve, pour into a serving bowl.

Delicious served with cole slaw and homemade biscuits or brown bread and any meat of your choice.

Recipe courtesy of Louise Youland (my mom)