This makes a big pan of beans, plenty for six or even eight people, so it’s great for a kitchen supper with friends. It tastes best made a day ahead, and the beans need soaking the day before that.

My wise, wizened late family friend Irene Jakubowski ... The unmatched flavor of true Boston baked beans, the latter which starts by using smaller white navy beans, skins intact, salted pork ...

Let's just say they call Boston ... mason jars of baked beans in your purse? Well, that’s exactly what I did last week, dropping jars of beans into the laps of unsuspecting friends and neighbors ...

A pot of homemade baked beans will outshine canned versions 10 times out of 10, and this recipe for Boston-style baked beans turns out a side dish that’s rich, smoky, and complexly sweet.

Most British recipes for Boston baked beans just use a piece of pork belly, but we think it needs some salted or smoked meat to counteract the sweetness, so we include bacon or pancetta.