Navy beans slow-baked with salt pork, maple syrup and molasses — the classic Quebec baked bean pot, sweet, smoky and deeply comforting.
Fèves au lard, or Quebec-style baked beans, is one of the province's oldest and most enduring dishes, traditionally cooked overnight in a bean pot buried in the coals of a wood stove, a method that gave the dish its slow, deep flavor long before modern ovens existed. Navy beans are simmered with salt pork, onion, molasses and maple syrup until the beans turn tender and the liquid reduces into a thick, dark, faintly sweet sauce that clings to every bean. What separates fèves au lard from American baked beans is the balance: Quebec's version leans more on maple syrup than brown sugar, giving it a distinctly Canadian sweetness, while salt pork rather than bacon provides the fat and savoriness, rendering slowly over hours until it nearly dissolves into the sauce. The long, low bake — traditionally 6 to 8 hours — is what makes the beans so tender they practically melt. It's a dish tied to Quebec's rural and Acadian culinary heritage, still served at cabane à sucre (sugar shack) meals every spring alongside ham and pancakes, and at family tables throughout the winter.
Serves 8
Drain soaked beans, cover with fresh water in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
In a heavy bean pot or Dutch oven, layer half the salt pork, then the beans, the studded onion, and remaining salt pork on top.
Whisk maple syrup, molasses, mustard, salt, pepper and water together and pour over the beans until just covered.
Cover and bake at 140°C (285°F) for 6-8 hours, checking every couple of hours and adding water if the beans look dry.
The low, long bake is what makes fèves au lard distinct — resist the urge to raise the oven temperature to save time.
Remove the lid for the last 45 minutes so the liquid reduces and thickens into a glossy sauce.
Remove the onion, and serve hot as a main or side, traditionally alongside ham, eggs or pancakes.
Salt pork is traditional and gives a distinct flavor salt pork alone provides — thick-cut bacon is an acceptable substitute if you can't find it.
Check the liquid level every couple of hours during the long bake and top up with hot water so the beans don't dry out or scorch.
Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup — the flavor difference in this dish is significant.
Add a diced smoked ham hock along with the salt pork for extra smokiness.
Use a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours as a modern hands-off alternative to the traditional bean pot.
Serve alongside tourtière (meat pie) for a full Quebec holiday spread.
Refrigerate up to 5 days; the flavor deepens overnight. Freezes well for up to 3 months — thaw and reheat gently with a splash of water.
Fèves au lard traces back to early French settlers in Quebec and the Maritimes, who adapted bean-pot cooking techniques for long, slow baking in wood-fired ovens, historically left to cook overnight buried in hot ashes or coals. The dish remains closely associated with Quebec's cabane à sucre tradition, served every spring during maple syrup season alongside other hearty, sugar-shack staples.
You can, but you'll lose much of the deep, slow-cooked texture that defines this dish — if using canned beans, reduce the bake time to about 90 minutes since they're already cooked.
Salt pork is pork belly or fatback cured in salt, sold at most butcher counters and some supermarkets; thick-cut, unsmoked bacon is the closest common substitute.
This usually means the parboiling step went too long, or old beans were used — fresh dried beans (within a year or two) hold their shape much better through a long bake.
Per serving (300g / 10.6 oz) · 8 servings total
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