Malna, thanks for that link. It will be very useful. Dave, you helped clear some things up. Thank you very much. NCHFP on their Baked Beans recipe is very unclear and I think it is an especially bad one for those new to canning to use. Recipe with parts truncated: âÂÂAn average of 5 pounds of beans is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 3ü pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints" an average of þ pounds per quart.â âÂÂPrepare molasses sauce as follows" Mix 4 cups water or cooking liquid from beans, 3 tablespoons dark molasses, 1 tablespoon vinegarâ¦..â âÂÂProcedure: Soak and boil beans as followsâ¦.â âÂÂPlace seven þ-inch pieces of pork, ham, or bacon in an earthenware crock, a large casserole, or a pan. Add beans and enough molasses sauce to cover beans.â Processing times there calls for pints 65 minutes & quarts 75 minutes. Nowhere does it state the weight or amount of the beans that the water, spices and seven pieces of meat are flavoring. 7 pieces of meat wouldnâÂÂt do much to flavor the 4 pounds of beans I processed. Both BBB and Bernadine calls for 2 lbs. beans, a similar list of procedures, sugars and spices and 1/2 lb. salt pork. Process times for those two are: Pints - 80 minutes and quarts 95 minutes. This is what I used with bacon instead of salt pork.

These have different spices than many baked bean recipes but we really like this recipe. My cousin worked with our grandmother to measure out the ingredients for our family cookbook and I have left the story that's included in there with the recipe. --------- In her early teens, my grandmother was being courted by a handsome boy who lived on his familyÂs farm. Once his parents had determined that the young couple "was serious", his mother began teaching Nana to prepare their favorite family recipes. But alas, soon my grandfather came along and her beau was out of the picture but not his motherÂs recipe for these sweet and spicy brown beans, which have always been known in our family as: FARM BOY BEANS 1 pound dried great northern or navy beans 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup finely chopped celery leaves 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/8 tsp. ground allspice 1 bay leaf, crushed (center spine removed) 1/2 pound ham or salt pork or 7 strips bacon Wash and sort beans. Place beans and 3 cups of water in large bean pot. In bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except meat. Pour over beans in pot; stir well. Refrigerate 48 hours. Stir and add meat before cooking. Bake covered in 300 degree over for 6 hours. Uncover; add 1/2 cup hot water if needed. Bake one hour longer. Note: This was her original recipe but I have modified the cooking technique a bit: Soak the beans overnight, then change the water and parcook them by cooking over medium heat for 45 minutes. Then drain them, saving the cooking water. Mix as directed with other ingredients but substitute 1 1/2 cups of the bean cooking water for the 3 cups of water. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 - 36 hours, then add meat and reduce cooking time to 3 hours. Uncover and bake another hour or until done. Add extra water if needed.

WOW! I just started making my homemade baked beans, again. They are soooo good! I make mine in a bean pot, a covered bean pot... I think the size and shape of it have a lot to do with how good the beans will come out. If you don't have a bean pot you must have a covered container. My bean pot holds two 1(one) lb packages of navy beans and that is what I would normally use.. but we are in a different house with a new to us oven and I started with just using one package (1 lb) and they came out fantastic.... they will seem too thin if you eat them on the same day that you have made them if you only cook them for the 5 hrs. An overnight in the fridge makes them perfect the next day! Long way of saying oven has lots to do with it. This is my Moms recipe... we had homemade baked beans every week growing up. It is her bean pot! 1. 1 lb package of navy beans 2. 1 lb of Salt Pork (NOT fatback) 3. 1 lb box of dark brown sugar 4. 3 Tbs. of Molasses 5. 1 large quartered onion 6. 3 Tbs. of mustard (can use dry or use a grainy or Dijon type mustard) Place dry beans in bean pot, cover with cold water, soak overnight. Alternatively, if short on time... cover beans with cold water, bring to boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. Boil again for 2 minutes) After either, above, method, drain and rinse, rinse, rinse beans! It is very important to rinse off that liquid. Place 1/2 of beans in bean pot, add large dice salt pork, quartered onion and cover with cold water. Add brown sugar, molasses and mustard. Cover beans and bake in 325 oven for 5 hours, checking to make sure that beans stay (just) covered with water... if water is low, add more and give beans a stir from the bottom up. I either cook longer (maybe an hour, maybe more, really depends on your oven, just last night for 1 hour.. came out great.. but, still, even better the next day after fridge) or refrigerate to use the next day so that they are just right.. I like the beans to be coated and the bean "juice" to be somewhat thickish. You will know by looking at them that they are "right". If I use 2 lbs of dried beans, I only double the sugar. Mustard, molasses and salt pork amounts remain the same. Onion, too. Never more molasses, they will come out "tacky". The house smells heavenly when they are cooking! And they aren't ready until they are ready! No bites till done! Enjoy! Sea

from: www.hillbillyhousewife.com Boston Baked Beans * 2 pounds white beans (northern or navy beans) * 2 teaspoons salt * 2 teaspoons dry mustard * 1/2 cup molasses * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 1 onion, peeled and chopped * 4 to 6 oz of raw bacon, chopped Soak the beans overnight in plenty of tap water. Or, you can bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn them off, cover them and let them sit for an hour or two. The point of this is to reconstitute them some, making them easier to cook. After the initial preparation boil your beans on the back of the stove for about half an hour. They won't be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft. Drain off the cooking water. In a very large casserole (4-quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt, dry mustard, molasses, sugar and chopped bacon. Add enough hot water to barely come to the top of the beans. Put a lid on the casserole, or tin foil. Bake the beans at 300° for about 5 to 7 hours. They will be tender, fragrant and delicious. My kids love this stuff. The cooked beans may be frozen in two cup portions to substitute for canned baked beans or canned pork'n'beans in any recipe. They make a good main dish, or a side dish for a large crowd. This recipe serves about 16. I make such a large amount so I can have plenty of leftovers to freeze. Another way to cook this, good in the summertime, is to use a crock pot. Boil the soaked beans for half an hour, as directed above. Then, instead of combining everything in a casserole, combine them in the crock pot instead. Put the lid on the Crock Pot after you've mixed everything up in it, and cook it on High for about 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours. You can put a folded dish towel on top of the lid if your crock pot doesn't get quite hot enough to cook beans normally. The dish towel helps maintain a temperature hot enough to just barely simmer the beans. Serve with Corn Casserole, Mixed Greens and Oatmeal Muffins or Whole Wheat Bread.