Boston Baked Beans

Photo: flickr user Marek Mahut

Ingredients

3 pounds dry pea beans or navy beans

1 1/2 cups dark molasses

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 pound salt pork, diced

1 large onion, chopped

Preparation

Rinse beans; in a large kettle combine beans and 24 cups (6 quarts) cold water. Bring to boiling; simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour. (Or, add beans to water and soak overnight.) Bring to boiling; simmer till beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Combine molasses, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 3 cups reserved cooking liquid. In 6-quart bean pot, mix beans, salt pork, and onion. Stir in molasses mixture. Cover, bake at 300 degrees for 3-1/2 to 4 hours, st