This is my grandmother's recipe for baked beans. They take all day to cook, and are by far the best I've ever had. This recipe is a little different because you don't soak the beans overnight first and that gives them a slightly different texture than the usual baked bean. The secret is to uncover the bean pot during the last hour of cooking so the beans develop a nice crust on top.
Preheat oven to 300 F
Ingredients:
1 lb small white beans (navy beans work best)
5 cups water
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 tsp. salt
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 lb. salt pork, bacon or ham, cubed
Directions:
1. Wash the beans thoroughly, but don't soak. Place in a bean pot.
2. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, molasses, mustard and
salt. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. This is the "bean water".
3. Add onions and salt pork to beans and mix well.
4. Add enough bean water to cover.
5. Cover pot and bake at 300 F for 6 to 8 hours, adding bean water regularly so they don't dry out.
6. During the last hour of cooking, uncover the pot, turn off the oven and let set for the last hour of cooking.