Baked Beans

I like beans... black eyed peas, pintos, limas, kidney beans, and much more. Baked beans, however, have never really been at the top of my like list. To be more accurate, I've never really cared for baked beans. I never even bothered to make them for other people because I disliked them so much. Then I saw this recipe on Pinterest for Smoky Bourbon “Baked” Beans, and it looked so good that I decided to give it a try. The first attempt was pretty much a disaster. I used dry beans, but I failed to soak them overnight. The flavor was present in the final product, but the beans were still quite tough. So I rallied and came at it a second time... Success!!! Oh my goodness, they were so tender and so flavorful. I made these again for our Holiday Party at work, and the crockpot came back to me dry as a bone. The real beauty of this recipe is how very easy it is to prepare. Whether you like baked beans or not, you should give these a try. They really are that good. I'm going to give you the ingredients that I used, but feel free to check the original recipe. 

4 cans great northern beans or navy beans
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, finely diced
2-4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
Salt and black pepper to taste
¾ cup ketchup
¾ cup BBQ sauce
1 ½ Tbsps tomato paste
Pinch or two ground cumin
Pinch or two smoked paprika
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsps brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
Olive oil
9 oz Oscar Meyer real bacon bits
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

Drain and rinse the beans, and place in a a large pot or a crock pot.

Next, add the diced onion; garlic; a few generous pinches of salt, cracked black pepper, cumin and paparika; ketchup, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, molasses and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Pour chicken stock until all the ingredients are covered.

Stir the ingredients together. Simmer on auto heat in the crockpot or bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened. In the crockpot it takes six to eight hours and on the stove it takes about four hours. Right before serving add 2-3 Tbsps of maple syrup and the bacon bits and mix well.

Enjoy the amazing flavors that these beans offer with your favorite barbecue!