King of the Early Maple Baked Beans
With many thanks to Cedar Circle Farm who adapted this recipe from Yankee Magazine
Ingredients 1 pound King of the Early Beans (about one-pint jar full)
1 onion peeled
6 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 pound chunk of backfat on the rind
1/2 tsp Hungry Bear Garlic Salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
Instructions -Rinse, drain and recover the beans with water and let them soak for one hour. -Drain the beans and place half in an oven-safe Dutch oven (one that has a lid). -Stick the cloves into the onion then place the onion and the bay leaf on top of the beans. -Top this with the rest of the beans. -Add the maple syrup and enough water to just cover the beans. -Cover the pot and place in a 300 degree oven. -Prepare the salt pork by cutting crosshatch at half-inch intervals, making sure to not cut through the rind. -Cover it with water and set aside. -After about an hour, begin checking the beans adding hot water as necessary to keep the top layer of beans nicely submerged. -After 2-3 hours, stir in salt and the other spices to taste then drain the salt pork and push it into the top layer of beans, skin side up, with the skin just at the top of the liquid. Put the lid back on the pot and return to the oven. -Continue to monitor and add water as needed. As the beans begin to really soften, begin cutting back on adding liquid so the sauce thickens. Make sure to not let the top layer of beans dry out though. Remove the lid of the pot for the last hour of cooking so the salt pork skin gets crispy.
