Chef-tested recipe
Slow-baked white beans with salt pork, maple syrup, molasses and mustard
Fèves au lard are Quebec’s slow-baked white beans, closely associated with hearty breakfasts and sugar-shack meals. Dried beans cook gently with salt pork, onion, maple syrup, molasses and dry mustard until creamy inside and deeply flavoured. The dish improves after resting and freezes reliably, making it ideal for batch cooking.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Prep Time
- 20 mins
- Cook Time
- 6 hours 30 mins
- Resting Time
- 8 hours for soaking.
- Total Time
- 14 hours 50 mins
- Cuisine
- Québécois Canadian
- Course
- Breakfast or side dish
- Cooking Method
- Soaking, simmering and slow baking
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Best Served With
- Eggs, ham, tourtière, fried potatoes, buckwheat pancakes, crusty bread, or a full sugar-shack breakfast.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Large bowlpaid link
- Heavy bean pot or Dutch oven with lidpaid link
- Medium saucepanpaid link
- Wooden spoonpaid link
- Ladlepaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
Ingredients
For the beans
- Dried small white beanspaid link: 500 g
- Cold water: 2 litres, for soaking
- Salt pork: 250 g, cut into 2 cm pieces
- Brown onion: 200 g, peeled and left whole
- Pure maple syruppaid link: 150 ml
- Dark molasses: 100 ml
- Light brown sugarpaid link: 60 g
- Dry mustard powderpaid link: 6 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 3 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 5 g, plus more after cooking if needed
- Boiling water: about 1.5 litres
Preparation Overview
Rinse and sort the beans, cover with the cold water, and soak for 8 hours. Drain, cover with fresh water, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes until the skins split when blown on. Drain again, reserving 1.5 litres of the cooking liquid.
Method
Heat the oven to 150°C conventional or 130°C fan.
Place half the salt pork in the bottom of a heavy bean pot or Dutch oven. Add the beans and bury the whole onion in the centre. Top with the remaining pork.
Whisk maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, pepper and salt with 750 ml reserved bean liquid. Pour over the beans.
Add enough additional reserved liquid to cover the beans by 2 cm.
Cover and bake for 5 hours, checking every hour and adding hot reserved liquid whenever the top beans begin to show.
Uncover and bake for 1 further hour until the liquid becomes glossy and thick while the beans remain creamy.
Remove the onion, or break it gently into the beans if preferred. Taste before adding more salt because salt pork varies greatly.
Rest for 20 minutes before serving or cooling for meal-prep portions.
Beginner Technique Notes
Par-simmering after soaking gives the beans a more predictable baking time.
Keep the beans just covered for most of the bake. Exposed beans can become hard and dry.
Add final salt only after tasting; the pork seasons the pot as it cooks.
Tips and Variations
For a stronger maple character, replace 50 ml of the molasses with another 50 ml maple syrup.
A traditional bean pot is useful but a heavy Dutch oven works well.
The beans thicken considerably after chilling. Add a little water when reheating.
Prepare a double batch in two separate pots rather than filling one vessel to the rim.
Serving Ideas
- Serve in warmed bowls with a little of the glossy cooking liquor. At breakfast, offer a modest portion beside eggs and potatoes.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze in meal-size containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently with 30–60 ml water per portion until steaming hot.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
No major common allergens are inherent in the core recipe. Check salt pork and mustard powder for additives and cross-contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fèves au lard always made with maple syrup?
Family recipes vary between maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar or a combination. This version balances maple flavour with traditional dark molasses.
Can canned beans be used?
Dried beans produce the best slow-baked texture and allow the flavour to develop gradually.
Why are my beans still firm?
Old beans, hard water or acidic additions can delay softening. Continue cooking with hot water and keep the pot covered.
Can this recipe be frozen?
Yes. Fèves au lard freeze especially well for up to 3 months.
