Grammy Callahan's Baked Beans

My Dad's family is from South of Boston, so it should not be surprising that my Grammy made some awesome Boston Baked Beans. Here is my rendition of an old family favorite...

• Ready In: 6 hrs
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 6  cups dried navy beans, cleaned and de-stoned
• 1  medium onion (whole, skin removed)
• 1  smoked ham hock
• 1  cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1  cup molasses
• 2  tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1  teaspoon pepper
• 2  teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Put cleaned beans in pot, covered with water.
2. Set aside(over night) for up to eight hours (Use about 9 cups of water).
3. Drain soaking water.
4. Add enough water to cover the beans by about an inch.
5. Simmer beans for about an hour, or until they are tender, but not fully cooked.
6. Drain water off again.
7. Mix sugars, molasses, mustard, salt and pepper.
8. Mix into beans.
9. Add enough water to cover beans.
10. Place ham hock and onion down into beans.
11. Bake in bean pot, at 250 degrees for about 3 hours.
12. Remove onion and ham hock.
13. Note: If beans look like they are drying out, just add water as you are cooking.
14. *Quick Soak Method: place the beans into a cooking pot, cover them with the three times the volume of water and bring them to a boil on the stove. Boil for about two minutes and then leave them sit off heat for an hour -- in either case, drain off the soaking water before proceeding with the recipe.
15. Having a problem with "tough beans" check out my article @ ChefCallahan.com: http://chefcallahan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139:tough-beans&catid=34:chef-blog&Itemid=18.