The recipe below is a guide. I always make double the recipe as the beans freeze well and everyone loves them (except those who don’t eat the beans). A suggestion is to put the final cooked and cooled beans in small Tupperware containers for lunches. Also great with a full-on breakfast.
Ingredients
4 cups white navy beans
½ lb salt pork belly
½ - ¾ lb additional pork (not salted) for the added meatiness my beans are known for (they’re known for other effects too, but that’s a story for around the campfire)
1 cup brown sugar (maple syrup is good too but doesn’t give the same browning effect)
½ cup molasses
1 Tbsp dry mustard
2 small onions
2 celery stalks
1 cup chilli sauce
1 Tbsp baking soda
Directions
1. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Rinse and change water occasionally.
2. Next day: Before you start, cut up all your ingredients. Onions, celery, salt pork and regular “fatty” pork into small bits (keeping them in separate containers or bowls).
3. Then prepare the sauce (wet ingredients) by combining brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard and hot water to dissolve. Mix and keep on the side.
4. In a large pot, cover beans with water (and 1 Tbsp baking soda) and bring to a boil. Gently boil uncovered over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Check beans often by tasting - beans should not be crunchy but should not be falling apart or the finished beans will be soggy.
5. Once cooked, immediately strain several times in cold water to stop cooking process.
6. In a large bean pot (ceramic works best) layer beans, celery, onions, salt pork and pork. Add wet ingredients and more hot water just to cover.
7. Cover and bake at 300˚ - 325˚F. Every hour, check beans and stir gently. After 2 ½ - 3 hours, add ½ bottle of chilli sauce and cook for another hour.
Beans are now ready to eat.
“Beans should start smelling good after about 1 ½ hours of cooking. Beans should start smelling bad after about 1 ½ hours from eating.”
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