Brunswick Street United Church Presents

Beans and Brownbread

Ingredients

• 2 kg (10 cups) dry beans
• 4 medium onions, sliced
• 2 cups molasses
• 1 cup ketchup
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 pound bacon or salt pork, chopped into small pieces

Sort and rinse beans. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain. Add cold water to cover and heat to boiling, then simmer at least 1/2 hour. Drain, reserving liquid.

Measure 2 cups liquid, mix with molasses, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.

Place the sliced onions and chopped bacon in the bottom of a large pot or roaster (capacity: 7 + litres). Add the drained beans and pour the molasses mixture over the beans.

Add hot water from the reserved liquid, or fresh hot water if necessary, to cover the bean mixture.

Cover; bake at 250F for 4 hours. Remove 1 litre, mash or puree, then stir back into the beans gently. Cover and continue to bake 2 hours longer, adding more water as needed. Taste a sample of the beans every hour or so to make sure they are not too hard (and not too soft). Remove from heat, stir gently to mix in the onion and bacon, and allow to cool.

You should have enough to make 7, 1-litre containers. Fill to the edge of the first indent up from the bottom.