Maple Baked Beans
Smoky, fragrant and stick-to-your-ribs delicious, this is a dish for maple tapping season if there ever was one. For maximum savor, aim to make it a day ahead, or in the morning to let them develop flavor until dinnertime.
Ingredients
1 pound dry navy beans
½ pound thick-cut bacon
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
¾ cup Grade B maple syrup
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 to 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Directions
Sort through beans to remove the duds (i.e. wrinkled, blackened or otherwise compromised ones). Rinse beans, cover by 3 inches with cold water and soak 8 hours or longer.
Transfer beans and soaking water to a large, heavy pot. Bring to simmer and cook until beans soften slightly, about a half hour.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook bacon in a skillet until brown and crispy. Break strips into pieces; stir them into the beans along with all (or some) of the bacon fat and all remaining ingredients.
At this point you want the beans to be barely covered with liquid, but if they aren’t, bring water to a boil and add what is needed to cover them.
Cover pot tightly and place in the oven to bake until beans are fully tender, 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more hot water if the beans dry out on top.
If there’s too much liquid towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and continue baking to reduce it.
Suggestions
Read more about maple syrup in "Sweet: The History, Craft & Cookery of Maple Syrup."
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