Maple Baked Beans - Recipe

     These baked beans have a Native American flare with maple syrup being the sweetener instead of molasses. Using salt pork also contributes to the Native American style.  This recipe does not have ketchup either, unlike many other bean recipes.  Here I also use two kinds of beans:  pinto bean and black bean, simply because I like them.
    I also enjoy using a traditional bean pot like the one my grandmother used.  I found two lovely traditional bean pots in one of my favorite areas of the country for acquiring kitchen things at  Zanesville Pottery in Ohio.  We pass this store traveling back and forth across the country on Interstate 70 when I visit my family, and of course I have to stop every time to see what is there.  "What is the big deal about bean pots?" my husband asks.  Well let me explain.  First of all, that is all my grandmother would use to cook her beans.  Nothing else would do.  She would start with dry beans (I do so only when I have an eternity to prepare them).  They would go in the oven for hours on end and fill the house with that wonderful baked bean aroma.  The traditional brown pottery is a beautiful warm, inviting brown, and the shape of the pot is so round and cute, you almost want to hug it.  So yes, it was important to me to find my own bean pot in which to create happy beany memories for my family to pass on to their families someday.  If you have not found your heirloom bean pot yet, do not despair.  Such important endeavors needs must not be rushed.  A Dutch oven produces lovely results as well.

Maple Baked Beans served with Brown Bread.

Maple Baked Beans before baking.

Maple Baked Beans ready for the oven in my beautiful 2 quart bean pot.

My cute little 1 quart bean pot.

Maple Baked Beans

(Serves 6)

3/4 lb. Salt Pork cubed or 1 lb. Bacon sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 Yellow Onion chopped
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 T. Honey Mustard
4 T. Real Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Course Celtic Sea Salt
25 oz. can Pinto Beans
25 oz. can Black Beans
1 c. Boiling Water

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Fry salt pork or bacon on medium heat in a Dutch oven (Do NOT use bean pot yet.  It does NOT go on stove top.) until lightly brown.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Add the onion to the Dutch oven and fry on medium heat until clear.  Turn off the heat and carefully remove all but 2 T. of fat with a spoon.  Whisk together the dry mustard, honey mustard, maple syrup, and sea salt in a small bowl.  Return the bacon to the pot and stir in the beans and maple mixture.  If you have a traditional bean pot with a lid, you may transfer the beans now.  Add boiling water and bake covered with foil and lid for 3 hours.  Otherwise add the boiling water to the Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 3 hours, checking half way through to add a little more water if dry.