In celebration of the Patriots historic season I thought it would be fun to create a regional specialty for my Super Bowl party - baked beans. Traditionally, baked beans are the supper item on Saturday nights in New England. I am not sure if that is still the case, but it is for sure that Boston is known as Beantown (although I have read that locals do not call it that.) As I was doing a little web research on baked bean history I stumbled onto a Saveur article about a specialty sandwich that would be perfect Super Bowl eats. Baked beans are the star of the sandwich so let’s begin there.

I prefer more simple and traditional baked beans so I didn’t include ketchup, tomatoes, or brown sugar. Baked beans require very little effort (all you need to do is get the ingredients going and they will work their own magic), but it will take some time to bake (around five to six hours in the oven) so plan ahead.

Boston Baked Beans

• 1 pound dried navy beans (soaked overnight, or 8 to 12 hours)
• ¼ pound country style bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1/3 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• splash of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain and rinse the pre-soaked beans, discarding the soaking liquid.
2. Place beans in a large pot and cover with water (by a couple of inches), simmer over medium-high heat for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the bean skins begin to crack a little.
3. Place the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 259°F. While the beans are cooking grab a large dutch oven or oven-proof, heavy bottomed pot. Place over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil, follow with the bacon and cook, stirring until crispy. Next toss in the finely chopped onion and cook until lightly browned, remove the pot from heat. When your beans are ready, drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
4. Toss the beans into the pot with the bacon and onions. Add the molasses, maple syrup, dry mustard, vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix it in. Add the reserved cooking liquid and bring up to a boil on the stove then move to oven.
5. Cover and bake for about five hours, stirring occasionally. After about four hours remove lid from pot and bake for another hour, this will help reduce and thicken the liquid. At about five hours remove from the oven, and check consistency, if beans are soft and creamy remove from oven and season to taste with salt and pepper. If still a bit undercooked place the pot back into the oven and cook until desired consistency is reached.

Baked Bean Sandwiches

Once the beans have finished up the hard work is done. Just put together a sandwich assembly line with the following ingredients:

Boston Baked Beans, applesauce, shredded or thin sliced cheddar cheese, thin sliced ham, diced pickle relish, and whole wheat bread.