Old Fashioned Baked Beans

Comfort food at its finest! This has been a staple in Nova Scotia homes for generations. Serve with brown bread and butter, and a good cup of tea! Prep time includes soaking the beans overnight.

• Ready In: 18 hrs
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  yellow-eyed  beans
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  medium onion
• 1⁄2 lb salt pork
• 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup molasses
• 2  teaspoons dry mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight, well covered with cold water.
2. Pour off soaking water and pick over beans to remove any bad ones, or debris.
3. Put beans in a pot.
4. Cover with fresh cold water and add 1 tsp. baking soda.
5. Bring to a boil and cook until skins of beans crack when you take one out on a spoon and blow on it.
6. Cut onion in quarters and put in bottom of a bean crock or large casserole.
7. Add the partially cooked beans.
8. Put cut up salt pork on top.
9. (Some people use the salt pork fat. I don't like fat, so I prefer to use the salt pork meat.) Combine brown sugar, molasses, mustard and salt with 1 1/2 cups boiling water.
10. Pour over the beans.
11. Add more boiling water, if needed, to come just to the top of the beans.
12. Also, if needed during baking tme, add more boiling water.
13. Bake, covered, at 300 degrees F for 6 hours, or until beans are tender.