Serves six to eight
1 pound navy beans or other small dried white beans
1⁄2 pound applewood bacon
1 medium onion, cut in medium dice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Coleman’s dry mustard
1⁄3 cup brown sugar
1⁄3 cup molasses
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
Place the beans in a pot or bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand overnight. In the morning, pick out off-colored or broken beans and drain. Cut smoked bacon into half-inch squares. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place onion and the bacon squares in bottom of earthenware crock or bean pot and place beans on top. Bring a quart of water to boil in a saucepan and add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, dry mustard, brown sugar, molasses, bay leaves, and vinegar. Simmer one minute. Mix well and pour over the beans. Cover the pot and place in a preheated oven. Bake for 5 hours, checking occasionally to be sure the liquid is just barely covering the beans. Add more water as needed. Then remove the cover and cook for 1 hour more.
