Perfectly Homemade Boston Baked Beans

Gather the ingredients. The Spruce Rinse the beans and pick them over, removing any truly shriveled specimens or bits of rock or grit. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover them with cool water. Let them soak overnight. The Spruce Preheat an oven to 250 F or get out a slow cooker and set it to high. Chop the salt pork or bacon and put half of it in the bottom of a Dutch oven, heavy pot, or the slow cooker. The Spruce Drain the beans and put half of them on top of the bacon. The Spruce Peel and chop the onion and put it on top of the beans. The Spruce Add the remaining beans and top of them with the remaining salt pork or bacon. The Spruce In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the molasses, brown sugar, and mustard with 3 cups boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and mustard. The Spruce Pour the mixture over the beans. The Spruce Cover the pot or slow cooker and cook the beans for 4 hours. Check on them; if the beans are tender to the bite, stir in the salt. The Spruce Cover again and cook for another 2 hours, removing the lid after the first hour (you can leave the lid on if you prefer soupier beans). The beans should be tender and the flavors fully blended. The Spruce You can serve the beans right away, but something even more magical happens to their flavor if you let them cool and reheat them the next day.