You can combine the beans with the molasses water, pork, and onion in a Dutch oven or baking dish and put it directly in the oven to cook for several hours. Or, you can sauté the pork and onions first, then add the beans and the molasses water, and bring it all to a simmer before transferring it to the oven. The cooking vessel is kept uncovered in both cases, and all you need to do is check the beans from time to time and add some of the leftover bean-cooking liquid (and, when that runs out, boiling water) if the beans on top are drying out too much. The advantage of the first option is that it requires the least work. And, ultimately, all the browning and the crust that forms on top of the beans add plenty of deep flavor, rendering the sautéing of the pork and onion beforehand mostly unnecessary. But one thing I found beneficial about starting on the stovetop is that it kicks off the subsequent oven cooking at full speed: You can bring the liquid to a simmer much faster on the stovetop than you can in a moderate oven, which means the beans are already chugging along by the time you put them to bake. That leads to faster development of a deep, flavorful browned crust on top, which I think is worth it. Therefore, that’s what my recipe calls for, though, if you’re in a rush, know that you can skip it.
