Homemade Baked Beans

I got this recipe out of Real Simple (June '11). I was feeling the pull of the perfunctory summer fare: hot dogs. I usually make baked beans over the stove and use canned white beans, but this called for a totally from scratch method so I figured I would try it. The high level summary is they were good but totally not worth the time and effort required, particularly when you have a 2 yr-old and are trying to get dinner on the table on time (which incidentally did not happen).

Homemade Baked Beans

4 oz sliced bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper

1 pound dried navy beans (soaked in water OVERNIGHT and drained)

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup ketchup

1 T dry mustard

2 T cider vinegar

Heat oven to 300 deg F. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until nearly crisp (5-7 minutes). Add the onion and season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.

Add the beans, molasses, ketchup, mustard and 5 cups of water to the Dutch oven and stir to combine; bring to a boil. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake, stirring once, until the cooking liquid is thickened, about 1-1 1/4 hours MORE. Stir in the vinegar and serve. WHEW.