Old-Fashioned Baked Beans

Directions

1. Wash beans, discarding imperfect ones. Cover beans with 2 quarts cold water; refrigerate covered overnight.

2. Next day, turn beans and water into 6-quart kettle.

3. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered 30 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

5. Trim rind from salt pork. Cut pork almost through, at half-inch intervals.

6. Place onion in bottom of 4-quart bean pot or casserole. Add beans; bury pork, cut side down, in center of beans.

7. Heat reserved bean liquid to boiling.

8. Mix remaining ingredients. Stir in 1 cup boiling bean liquid. Pour over beans. Add boiling liquid just to cover beans--about 1½ cups.

9. Bake covered, 6 hours. Stir once every hour, so beans cook evenly. If they seem dry after stirring, add a little boiling water.

10. To brown top of beans, remove cover for last half hour of baking time.