First Prize Beans 25-10-14

 
First Prize Beans

Ingredients:

2 pounds dried navy beans
10 whole cloves
1 onion, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon salt
1 pound lean salt pork
1 pound smoked ham or ham hocks
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 cup Jamaican rum

Directions:

Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain. Put beans in a large pot and add fresh water to a depth of 3 inches above the beans. Stick cloves into peeled onion and add to bean pot with bay leaf and salt; bring to a boil. Boil rapidly 5 minutes; skim foam from top of beans. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender but not mushy. Drain and reserve liquid.
Simmer salt pork in water for 25 minutes. Remove pork and cut into small pieces. Cut ham into strips. Combine chopped onion and garlic. Blend dry mustard with enough water to dissolve mustard. Pour a layer of beans in a large baking dish or casserole. Add a layer of salt pork, ham, and onion-garlic mixture. Repeat layers ending with beans. Pour dissolved mustard over all and add enough bean liquid to cover. Bake in 350 degree oven. Add more bean liquid if needed during baking. At the end of 1-1/2 hours, pour rum over beans and bake 45 minutes longer (2 hours, 15 minutes in all).

Serves: 16