Slow Cooker Homemade Beans

"I'm choosing not to post stars as to throw off the rating, but frankly, I was disappointed. Not in the sauce, which tasted wonderful, but in the fact the beans never finished cooking! I think the b..." See moreottom line is to follow the advice of a previous reviewer & soak + boil before slow cooking. The allrecipes site has an advice section, which addresses the issue, I've pasted it below. Time your Seasoning For the most part, you can go ahead and add spices, seasonings and aromatics to your pot o' beans when you start cooking them, but there are a few things that you should never add until the end: salt, and anything acidic, like tomato products, lemon juice, wine and vinegar. Salt will toughen the skins of the beans, and acids can keep beans from ever getting soft. Once your beans are tender, you may add these ingredients to your heart's content. I'm coming back to let you know I've tried this recipe again, but soaked the dry beans overnight, simmering in the morning till soft. Worked beautifully! I will use this recipe's ratios in the future, but those beans are being cooked first!"

"Re: Beans that are still hard after 18 hours This has happened to me in the past. I couldn't figure out why, until I heard a radio cooking show explain it. The ACID in the tomatoes prevents the b..." See moreeans from cooking thoroughly. The radio cook suggested not adding acid ingredients until after the beans are cooked. I always follow that advice now."

"NO SOAKING, NO BOILING. I just rinsed the beans and cooked them on High in the Crock-Pot with 8 cups of water for 6 hours. Then I added all the other ingredients and they were hassle-free and perfec..." See moret! I did not add the 1 1/2 cups of Water; used only 1/2 cup Brown Sugar; no mustard; no bacon (didn't have). These were the best baked beans I have ever tasted, will make them often!"