Fenway Park Boston Baked Beans

Shopping List: navy beans, tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, thick-cut smoked bacon, Fenway Franks beef hot dogs, yellow mustard, salt, black pepper 

Ingredients for 6–8 servings:
 

1 lb dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
6 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 Fenway Franks beef hot dogs, sliced into 1/2–1 inch pieces
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (to add at the end, or to taste)
5–6 cups water (enough to keep beans just covered as they cook)

Instructions:

Brine dried navy beans for 24 hours in salt water.   This is important before anything else. 

Put the brined navy beans into the slow cooker overnight (2nd day after brining). Add the bacon pieces on top of the beans so they render slowly as everything cooks. Add the tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, yellow mustard, black pepper, and 5 cups of water. Stir well to combine, making sure the beans are just covered; add a bit more water if needed.

Cover and cook on LOW for about 8–10 hours or on HIGH for about 4–6 hours, until the beans are tender and the bacon is soft and fully cooked. If the liquid gets low and beans are no longer submerged, stir in a little more water as they cook. If the beans are tender but the sauce is too thin, leave the lid slightly open for the last 20–30 minutes so it can thicken.

About 1 hour before serving, stir in the sliced Fenway Franks. Cook until the hot dogs are heated through and the sauce is rich and glossy.

Stir in the salt at the end, starting with 1 tsp and adjusting to taste. Serve thick, not soupy.