Chef John's Boston Baked Beans

Name: Chef John's Boston Baked Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 645 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound dry navy beans; 6 cups water; 1 pinch baking soda; 1 bay leaf; 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 yellow onion, diced; 0.33333334326744 cup molasses; 0.25 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder; 1.5 teaspoons salt; 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Description: Bacon, navy beans, molasses, brown sugar, and mustard are the key ingredients in this simple, inexpensive side dish.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 150

Ingredients

1 pound dry navy beans
6 cups water
1 pinch baking soda
1 bay leaf
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
0.33333334326744 cup molasses
0.25 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1.5 teaspoons salt
0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

Place navy beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches cool water; let soak overnight.
Drain beans; place in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with 6 cups water, baking soda, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain; save bean-cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Place beans in a clean Dutch oven; add bacon, onion, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper. Pour in enough hot reserved bean-cooking liquid to cover beans; stir.
Cover Dutch oven; bake in the preheated oven 1 hour. Check liquid level; add more reserved bean-cooking liquid to cover beans. Return to oven; continue baking until beans tender and almost all liquid absorbed, about 1 hour.
Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Uncover beans; continue baking until top develops a flavorful crust, 20 to 30 minutes more.