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Soak the beans overnight in lots of tap water.
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Or, bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn them off, cover them and let them sit for an hour or two.
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The point of this is to reconstitute them some, making them easier to cook.
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After the initial preparation boil your beans on the back of the stove for about half an hour.
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They won't be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft.
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Drain off the cooking water.
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In a very large casserole (4-quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt, dry mustard, molasses, sugar and chopped bacon.
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Add enough hot water to barely come to the top of the beans.
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Put a lid on the casserole, or use foil.
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Bake the beans at 300F for about 5 to 7 hours.
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They will be tender, fragrant and delicious.
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The cooked beans may be frozen in two cup portions to substitute for canned baked beans in any recipe.
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They make a good main dish, or a side dish for a large crowd.
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14
Another way to cook this, good in the summertime, is to use a crockpot.
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15
Boil the soaked beans for half an hour, as directed above.
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Then instead of combining everything in a casserole, combine in the crockpot instead.
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Put the lid on the crockpot after you've mixed everything up in it, and cook on High for about 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours.
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You can put a folded dish towel on top of the lid if your crockpot doesn't get quite hot enough to cook beans normally.
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The towel helps maintain a temperature hot enough to just barely simmer the beans.
