How Long to Cook Great Northern Beans (From Dry, Unsoaked) in the slow cooker
Specification: 1 lb dry great northern beans, sorted and rinsed, covered with 6 cups water plus onion, bay, and a smoked ham hock
3-Step Execution Protocol
Add great northern beans (from dry, unsoaked) (1 lb dry great northern beans, sorted and rinsed, covered with 6 cups water plus onion, bay, and a smoked ham hock) to the slow cooker. Set to HIGH (5–6 hrs) then WARM.
Cook for 5–6 hours on HIGH. Keep lid on; do not stir unless specified.
A bean squeezed between finger and thumb collapses with almost no force; the pot liquor has turned starchy and slightly cloudy. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.
USDA "Dry Beans: Home Cooking" guidance (unsoaked beans require HIGH heat in a slow cooker to reach a rolling temperature that inactivates phytohaemagglutinin — LOW is not hot enough for unsoaked kidney-family beans, though great northerns are lower-risk); Rancho Gordo Slow Cooker Bean Method (unsoaked HIGH 5–6 hrs); doneness is fork/finger test, so internal-temp target is intentionally omitted per HR-2 conventions used elsewhere for boiled starches.