Grammy Callahan's Baked Beans

Total Time: 6 hrs Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 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

Recipe

• 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.