# New England Baked Beans, the Maine Way

New England Baked Beans, the Maine way, are not rushed, sweet little side-dish beans. This is the old Saturday bean pot treatment: navy beans or pea beans baked low and slow with salt pork, dark molasses, mustard, onion, and just enough patience to turn the whole pot dark, glossy, and deeply savory.

- Total time: 390 min
- Cuisine: American
- Category: Side
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- dried beans
- 2 inches over beans water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- thyme
- salt
- salt pork
- onions
- dry mustard
- 1 cup bean water
- brown sugar
- molasses
- pepper

## Instructions

1. Run the dried beans through a strainer and rinse them off, then pick through them to remove any dark or broken beans.
2. Put the beans in a big bowl, cover them with water about 2 inches over the beans, and let them sit overnight, preferably covered.
3. Prepare a spice pouch by putting thyme in a piece of cheesecloth and tying it up with a string. You can also add the bay leaf to the pouch or directly to the pot.
4. Drain the soaked beans in a colander.
5. Put the drained beans in a pot and add the bay leaf, spice pouch (if used), and a crushed garlic clove.
6. Add water again, 2 inches over the beans, and some salt.
7. Stir briefly to ensure the spice pouch gets wet and submerged.
8. Turn the burner to high to bring the beans to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 45 to 70 minutes, or until the beans' skin splits when blown on and they are firm but not crunchy when squished.
9. Once the beans are cooked, turn off the burner and dump the beans and water into a strainer, setting the beans aside.
10. Cut the salt pork into small pieces if it's not already sliced.
11. Cover the salt pork with water in a separate pot and boil for 2 minutes to remove excess salt.
12. While the salt pork is boiling, place the remaining salt pork pieces in a cold pan and set the burner to medium-high.
13. Sauté the salt pork for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the heat down to low to render the fat and lightly brown the pieces until crispy.
14. Remove the boiled salt pork from the water and discard the water.
15. Once the sautéed salt pork is crispy, remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
16. Add onions to the pan with the salt pork fat and sauté them on low until softened.
17. In a separate bowl, add a little water to dry mustard and stir to bloom it, then let it sit.
18. Remove the spice pouch and bay leaf from the drained beans.
19. Take 1 cup of the bean water and set aside.
20. In a mixing container, combine the hot bean water, brown sugar, molasses, pepper, salt, and the bloomed mustard, stirring until well combined.
21. Taste the liquid to ensure a forward molasses flavor.
22. In a bean pot, place about half of the sautéed onion mixture at the bottom.
23. Add the cooked beans to the pot, then add the rest of the onion mixture, stirring the top layer to mix it in.
24. Give the prepared liquid another stir and pour it all over the beans, stirring gently to mix it in without going all the way to the bottom.
25. Add more of the reserved bean water until the beans are just barely covered.
26. Place the piece of salt pork on top of the beans and gently push it in until it's about halfway down.
27. Cover the bean pot with its top.
28. Place the pot in a 275°F oven and cook for 4.5 to 6 hours.
29. Check the water height every hour during cooking; if more water is needed, pull the pot to the sides and let it seep down without stirring.

## Equipment

- strainer
- big bowl
- cheesecloth
- string
- colander
- pot
- knife
- pan
- plate
- mixing container
- bean pot

## Tips

- Cover beans when soaking overnight to prevent anything from falling into them.
- Use cheesecloth to make a spice bag for thyme and bay leaf to easily remove them after cooking.
- For garlic, smash it with a knife or cut it up to ensure it falls apart during cooking.
- When beans are done boiling, their skin should split when blown on, and they should be firm but not crunchy when squished.
- Boil salt pork for 2 minutes to remove excess salt.
- Sauté salt pork on medium to medium-low heat to render the fat slowly and brown it lightly.
- Bloom dry mustard with a little water to enhance its flavor and allow it to disperse better.
- When preparing the juice, ensure a forward taste of molasses.
- When filling the bean pot, you can layer half the onions, then beans, then the rest of the onions, or stir the top layer of onions into the beans.
- Do not stir all the way to the bottom when adding the juice; just mix it in.
- Gently push the piece of salt pork halfway down into the beans before baking.
- Do not stir the beans in the oven; if more water is needed, pour it to the sides and let it seep down.
- Check water level every hour during baking.

## Source

- Original video: https://youtu.be/SgGbPNELm60?is=2c7nh_zhKJxBF7X0
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/29becf4f-530d-43ba-853b-204e76b82909
- Extracted: 2026-07-04

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt