(Todd Coleman)

Flavored with molasses, maple syrup, and rum, this filling bean dish is simple to prepare; all it takes is time. Six hours of cooking yields thick, rich results. Serve it with hearty brown bread to mop up its flavorful sauce. This recipe first appeared in our March 2012 issue, with Gabriella Gershenson's article Full of Beans.

Serves 6–8Ingredients

1 lb. dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed1 medium yellow onion, ends trimmed, peeled, and left whole4 whole cloves8 oz. slab bacon or salt pork, trimmed and cut into 2″ x 14″ pieces1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. maple syrup1/4 cup unsulfured molasses2 tsp. dry mustard powder1/2 cup ketchup1 tbsp. cider vinegar1 tbsp. dark rumKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Bring the beans and 10 cups of water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let the beans sit for 1 1/2 hours. (This "quick soak" produces effects similar to those achieved by soaking the beans in water overnight.) Drain the beans in a colander, and discard the cooking liquid.Heat oven to 250°. Stud the onion with the cloves and place in a 4-qt. Dutch oven along with the beans, bacon, maple syrup, molasses, dry mustard, and 3 cups boiling water; stir to combine. Cover pot with a lid, and place in the oven; cook, lifting the lid and stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Stir in ketchup and vinegar. Cover with lid again, and return to the oven; cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick glaze, about 3 hours more.Stir in rum; season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls; serve with brown bread, if you like.

This recipe is on the menu forA New England Seafood Cookout. Be sure to check the Picnic and Grilling Forecast before your next cookout!