Cheers Boston Baked Beans Instant Pot or Not
Not at all sweet but with a bit of a bite, these Boston Baked Beans will make you sit up and take notice. From the Bull & Finch in Boston, the original “Cheers.”
- Total Time: see recipe
- Yield: 8 to 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans, soaked or brined
- 1 pound bacon (may use 1/2 lb) diced
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/3 cups)
- 8 cups water for standard oven cooking, 1 3/4 cups water for Instant Pot
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons light molasses (any molasses is fine)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Standard:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse and drain soaked beans, set aside. In a large Dutch oven, add bacon and onion. Turn heat onto medium-high and cook until bacon is crisp. Drain excess fat if desired. Add the remaining ingredients and stir in beans. Bring to a boil and transfer to the oven. Bake uncovered, stirring now and then for about four hours, until beans are tender, checking several beans. Watch closely at the end of the cooking time, adding additional water if needed.
Instant Pot:
Rinse and drain soaked beans, set aside. Add bacon and onion to the Instant Pot, turn to the Saute setting. Cook until bacon is crisp. Drain excess fat if desired. Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pot well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir in beans. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes. When finished, let release naturally for 20 minutes. Check several beans for tenderness. If additional time is needed, reseal and set for five more minutes at High Pressure and let naturally release for 20 minutes.
Notes
Sometimes I add 1/3 to a half a cup of brown sugar and they are just barely sweet.