New England-Style Baked Beans

A slow cook with bacon, maple syrup, molasses, and mustard yields a rich and hearty side dish.

Serves
6–8
Time
6 hours 20 minutes, plus soaking

PHOTO: MURRAY HALL • FOOD STYLING: THU BUSER

Updated on December 22, 2025

A staple at summer cookouts and Saturday night suppers, these New England-style baked beans, though simple to prepare, require a full six hours of slow cooking to develop thick, rich results. A combination of sweet molasses and maple syrup, smoky bacon or salt pork, and sharp mustard—plus a touch of dark rum stirred in at the end—bring plenty of flavor to this filling side dish. Serve it with hearty brown bread to mop up the luscious sauce.

Featured in “Full of Beans” in the March 2012 issue.

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Ingredients

1 lb. dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed
8 oz. slab bacon or salt pork, trimmed and cut into 2- by ¼-in. pieces
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
¼ cup unsulfured molasses
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
4 cloves
1 medium onion, ends trimmed and peeled
½ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. dark rum
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Brown bread, for serving (optional)

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Instructions

Step 1

To a medium pot over high heat, add the beans and 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to soak for 1½ hours. (This “quick soak” produces effects similar to those achieved by soaking the beans overnight.) Drain the beans and discard the cooking liquid.

Step 2

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 250°F. Add the beans, bacon, maple syrup, molasses, mustard powder, and 3 cups of boiling water to the same pot and stir to combine. Press the cloves into the onion and add it to the pot. Cover and bake, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours.

Step 3

Stir in the ketchup and vinegar. Cover and bake, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick glaze, about 3 hours more.

Step 4

Stir in the rum and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with brown bread if desired.

To a medium pot over high heat, add the beans and 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to soak for 1½ hours. (This “quick soak” produces effects similar to those achieved by soaking the beans overnight.) Drain the beans and discard the cooking liquid.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 250°F. Add the beans, bacon, maple syrup, molasses, mustard powder, and 3 cups of boiling water to the same pot and stir to combine. Press the cloves into the onion and add it to the pot. Cover and bake, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours.
Stir in the ketchup and vinegar. Cover and bake, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick glaze, about 3 hours more.
Stir in the rum and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with brown bread if desired.