Serves 8-10
Recipe by: Chef John V.
Prep time: about 6-7 hour total, great for a crock-pot

Amount/Measure/Ingredient

3 cups white pea beans, soaked overnight in 8 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 tsp. salt, if Kosher salt use 2 tsp.
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb. fresh pork belly or unsmoked bacon with some lean meat attached, diced into 1" long x 1/2" wide pieces
1 cup onions, diced into 1/4" pieces

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Drain the beans but save the water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans with the brown sugar, molasses, salt, mustard, ginger and Worcestershire sauce, blending well. On the bottom of a bean pot or Dutch oven place 1/4 pound of the salt pork. Add the onions, then the bean mixture. Cover with half of the reserved water and the remaining salt pork.

Bring the beans to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and cover the pot with aluminum foil. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake for about 5-6 hours, checking every hour or so to see if the liquid has reduced. Add the reserved water as needed, to keep the beans moist stir up the pot and check the consistency. It should be a bit creamy and not dry like normal canned baked beans.

Serve immediately as a hearty side dish, or refrigerate and serve chilled as a picnic dish!