Skip to main content

How To Make Baked Beans Like A Bostonian

Boston baked beans, State Street Provisions
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Tom Borgia, State Street Provisions in Boston
Chef Tom Borgia of State Street Provisions in Boston, MA Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s nothing quite like the sweetness of baked beans to get you through a cold winter night. That’s right: the perennial barbecue staple, usually slopped onto a paper plate between corn on the cob and a relish-smeared hot dog, is so much more than its tart summer side dish status. With its origins in colonial New England, the stewed and baked dish is a year-round delight, and nowhere does it better than Boston.

Chef Tom Borgia, head chef of new Boston eatery State Street Provisions, talked to The Manual about the secret to tried-and-true Boston baked beans and how simplicity trumps all when it comes to good flavor.

Recommended Videos

While there are many different iterations of baked beans—some are tomato-heavy and tart, others are overly-sweet—Borgia says what makes Boston baked beans the best of the best is the combination of salty bacon and molasses.

“It’s a sweeter, more well-rounded taste,” he says.

The rich, almost bitter flavor of molasses gives Boston baked beans a depth that goes beyond the one-note sweetness found in many southern recipes, which often call for maple syrup.

He warns, however, that it is of the utmost importance to prepare the beans properly before adding molasses. “Molasses has a lot of sulfur in it, so make sure to cook the beans separately so that sulfur taste doesn’t get into the beans.”

Originally, baked beans were stewed with salt pork, a fatty cut (usually the belly or fatback) but State Street’s version relies on apple-smoked bacon to get the salty, fatty flavor so important to the dish with the added bonus of a smoky finish. While Borgia’s version is topped off with braised pork belly and streusel, he stresses that simplicity and good execution are key.

“There is room for playfulness, but this is not a dish where you can hide behind tricks,” he says “We emphasize the basics.”

An emphasis on expert execution of simple flavors is, it seems, a philosophy he picked up during his time in Italy, where he spent two years alternately working and traveling.

Italian food has always been everything I believe in,” he says. “They like to source locally, but more importantly: it’s all about the ingredients. It’s not necessarily all these bizarre ingredients on top of each other. The best Italian dishes have, like, 4 or 5 ingredients and they let them speak for themselves. Simple preparations, seasoned perfectly, executed perfectly.”

State Street’s entire menu manages to balance playfulness, a tried-and-true Boston sensibility, and straight-forward flavor, and nowhere do you see that more than with their baked beans. “There’s a reason they call it Beantown,” Borgia says.

Want to make your own baked beans? Never fear. Taking the expert advice of Chef Borgia, The Manual slaved away in the kitchen to create the best Boston baked beans you’ll taste outside of Beantown.

Related: Micro Guide: Boston

You’ll Need

2 cups dried navy beans

¼ pound salt pork, rind removed, or bacon (applewood smoked, if preferred), cut into ½ inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt, and additional to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup molasses

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves

1 teaspoon ground mustard

black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse beans, ridding them of any stones, then cover with water—enough to cover the beans by roughly an inch—and soak for at least two hours, but preferably overnight. Add half a clove of garlic to the soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and add a pinch of salt. Let simmer for about half an hour or until the beans start to become tender. Drain the beans, but reserve the soaking liquid.

In the meantime, brown the salt pork or bacon in a large dutch oven, then add the onion and remaining garlic and soften in the rendered fat. Add molasses, cloves, mustard, and a pinch of black pepper and stir. Then, add the drained beans and stir, making sure the molasses and salt pork cover the beans. Add the soaking liquid, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover with lid. Let simmer for anywhere from four to six hours, until the beans reach your preferred tenderness.

Serve hot with fresh baked bread and, depending on the time of day, either a nice bloody mary or a smoky stout.

Images courtesy of marlo marketing.

Lisa Dunn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Lisa Dunn is a writer with a background in investigative journalism and a love of tailored suits. Born and raised in New…
11 Best Baking Recipes Any Man Can Learn How to Make
Homemade artisan French bread

For many people, just the thought of tying on an apron to start baking can seem intimidating. Whether you're baking a celebratory layer cake or simply stirring up a sweet late-night treat, creating something loving from the oven doesn't have to be complicated. Regardless of where you're at your baking journey or level of kitchen experience, there's a recipe out there to fit each and every baking craving, ability, and need.
Related Guides

Best Apples for Baking
Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes
Best Cookie Brands

Read more
Why Baked Beans are the Best Beans
baked beans are best full

Baked beans hold a special place in my life. Every time I taste them, it brings me back to my childhood, specifically the nights my dad would cook dinner. My mother is a therapist and would see patients in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at her home office, meaning my father was solely responsible for dinner on those nights. The routine loosened up a little bit then, and one of my favorite dad meals was scrambled eggs and a can of baked beans. At the time I had no idea how closely this skewed toward an English breakfast (for the record, my father was of Eastern European Jewish descent, so I'm not sure if this was just coincidence). I just knew that I loved this meal, particularly the baked bean aspect of it.

Baked beans are the perfect comfort food. They are sweet, hearty, and warm, and often flavored with a little bit of bacon or pork, another comfort food staple. You can eat them on their own, you can use them as a topping, or you can mix them up with whatever other food is on your plate. Add a little bit of spicy mustard or Sriracha to them if you like to make the flavor pop a little more. And while it might seem like a dated food, people are still scarfing down baked beans. According to Serious Bean Co. co-founder Trey Taylor, the current trend toward plant-based foods has played a part in this. "More and more people are trying to incorporate meatless meals throughout the week, either for the health benefits or to help manage grocery expenses," he wrote in an email. "Beans are a great plant-based source of protein and are healthy and economical." Beans are also high in fiber and vitamin B, and may help improve your blood cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. Also, cooking dried beans can be a task many people don't have time for. "Baked beans are still a relevant pantry staple because it takes time to cook your own," said a representative for B&M Beans.

Read more
Wolves recently launched its first flagship American single malt whiskey
Wolves is joining the American single malt whiskey craze
Wolves

Co-founded by streetwear designers James Bond (of UNDEFEATED) and Jon Buscemi (of Buscemi Truff), California's Wolves Whiskey is beginning to gain a following thanks to its outstanding whiskeys. Previously, the brand received acclaim for its limited-edition whiskeys.

That said, Wolves is finally ready to focus on building its collection of year-round flagship expressions. Surprisingly, the newest addition to the collection isn't a bourbon, rye whiskey, or some other style commonly associated with American whiskeys. It's a tribute to the whiskey-makers across the pond who came before us and are still crafting noteworthy single malt whiskies today. That's right, Wolves' first flagship expression is an American single malt whiskey.
Wolves American Single Malt Whiskey

Read more