Instructions

  1. THE NIGHT BEFORE:
  2. Wash & sort beans for any small stones.
  3. Place in a large kettle & cover with water, about 3 inches above the beans.
  4. Cover & soak overnight.
  5. THE NEXT MORNING:
  6. Drain & add 6 cups fresh cold water.
  7. Stir in the baking soda (this helps remove the "music" afterwards, but no guarantees. LOL!).
  8. Cover & bring to a boil -- WATCH CAREFULLY so as to not boil over!
  9. Reduce heat & simmer for 10 minutes.
  10. Drain & reserve the bean water.
  11. Preheat oven to 300°.
  12. Add remaing ingredients plus 2 cups of the reserved bean water.
  13. Place everything into the bean pot (or whatever you're using) & cover.
  14. (Use double-thick aluminum foil to cover if need to.).
  15. Bake for 3 to 4 hours.
  16. IMPORTANT: Check every couple of hours, adding more bean water if needed, so the beans don't cook dry.