I tried making a batch with baking soda added to the pot, which counteracts the low pH of the molasses and speeds cooking time. This led to a pot of mushy, over-browned beans (a higher pH accelerates browning reactions) that lacked the hard-earned flavor of true slow cooking that was needed to make them a success.
Next, I tried a pressure cooker. It was able to soften the beans in about 30 minutes, even with the molasses already mixed in, but what I was left with was exactly what you’d expect from a gasket-sealed pot that prohibits evaporation and browning: too much broth and not enough flavor. Even after moving the pressure-cooked beans to the oven, I wasn’t able to get nearly the same browning and evaporation as I did from those cooked for a long time in the oven. That left one final method, which is the one you’ll most commonly see, including in many old recipes: par-cooking the beans in water, then mixing them with the molasses and other ingredients, transferring them to the oven, and cooking for several hours more until done.
