Katie wrote:Those baked beans are beautiful. You are an inspiration, Jim! Although I am still disappointed by your stubborn refusal to adopt me. Maybe you need to take on an apprentice instead ...

thanks, they were an interesting mix of sweet, and hot for sure. really good for breakfast yesterday cold from the fridge.

my daughter has dibs on the apprentice/chicken wing muncher position:

I'm somewhat surprised that all the recipes here except for Alton's start with "wet" beans, from bottles or cans. It may not make much difference compared with flavoring, but there's such a passion for "from scratch" in general that it catches me a bit off guard

My mother's practice until she went back to work in the late sixties, after which most of her scratch cooking except for baking and holiday meals stopped, was similar to Alton's except she boiled the dry Northerns, or maybe simmered (it's been awhile and I wouldn't have paid the closest attention) instead of soaking, although I think she did soak instead if she'd started in time, usually Friday night. Perhaps the heat was to speed up the process. But the drawing off juice or water, the browning onions and adding salt pork in the bottom of the dutch oven--she always used margarine, probably without changing a pre-margarine recipe--adding the beans and the liquids are all closely related practices. She used molasses and plenty of it. Earlier versions of the complete meal included whats usually called Boston Brown Bread, which of course also has molasses. Our pantries always had a half gallon paper carton of it, same size but different shape as orange juice comes now. The base was round but got squared by the top; I always assumed it had a round base for pouring, so that it didn't leave a lot stuck in corners, but I really don't know.

We switched to B&W jars about that time and in my own household have only ever used that or canned like Bush's, and always as a side dish. When my mother made beans that was all that was on your plate, except for bread, either homemade brown or store-bought whole wheat, which we didn't usually eat at other times.