What did you get up to this weekend? Tell me—I want to know.
Here’s what I did this weekend:
- I had a meltdown when I discovered some sort of creepy insect building a nest or cocoon under my husband’s garage door. I absolutely loathe bugs.
- I accidentally dropped my iPhone into a vat of buttercream. Not nearly as sweet as it sounds.
- I drank a dark chocolate, bourbon, cherry soda float. I did not resist—okay, I was forced. Totally forced.
- I watched The Notebook and pretended it was my real life for a little while.
- I met Mario Batali and watched him cook sausage. It was fun and a little surreal.
- I bought a ton of neon clothing because the 90s are my jam. My style might be questionable, but neon is a trend I’m not letting go of.
- I remembered the days of hairspraying my front hair into a ridiculous wave and wearing four-inch platform flip-flops. Please, never let that come back.
- And I made baked beans from scratch.
Until about a year ago I didn’t even like baked beans—I had this weird mental block against them. But then I tried some really good ones and I was hooked. For months I ate them with eggs, in sandwiches, on baked potatoes—you name it. The first time I tried making these I threw a bunch of random ingredients together and crossed my fingers. The next time I bumped up the bourbon, made a few tweaks, and the result became a new staple.
I’m terrible at picking favorites for anything—music, TV, movies—I never commit. But right now I’ll admit The Notebook is my top movie, and beans are officially one of my favorite foods. I eat them almost every day, sometimes twice. That’s a big deal for me; the last time I declared a favorite food was when I was twelve and said “potatoes,” mostly because my mom’s potato chip potato casserole was irresistible. Back then my idea of a baked potato was scooping out the flesh, covering it with butter, salt and pepper, and mashing it with a fork. Give me that over a perfectly presented baked potato any day.
These days my short list of loves includes bacon, avocados, chocolate, and beans—until I change my mind tomorrow.
I won’t buy baked beans from a can anymore—homemade beats canned every time. These beans are full of flavor and texture, loaded with bacon and a touch of bourbon for depth. They’re easy to prepare: about an hour of prep, then everything goes into the crockpot to cook low and slow. They can be made ahead and taste even better the next day after the sauce has had time to meld and thicken.
Summer, bring it on.
Crockpot Bacon Bourbon Baked Beans
6 to 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 10 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
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The night before, place the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Drain them the next morning.
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Bring the beans to a boil in a large pot of water, then simmer for 30–40 minutes. Drain. While the beans cook, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crispy and the fat renders. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reduce heat to medium–low, add the chopped onion, and cook 8–10 minutes until caramelized and soft. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds, then turn off the heat.
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In the crockpot, whisk together the water, bourbon, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, ketchup, ground mustard, vinegar, molasses and Worcestershire sauce. Add the drained beans, the onions (including the bacon fat) and the cooked bacon. Cover and cook on low for 10–12 hours, stirring occasionally. After cooking, switch the crockpot to “warm” or turn it off and let the beans sit, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours to thicken the sauce. They taste even better the next day.
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Note: The liquid may still seem thin after cooking. Let the beans rest on a low or off setting, covered, so the sauce becomes thick and syrupy like traditional baked beans.
Did you make this recipe?
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Later I’ll tell you about the bread I served with these. Because I love you all—and bread deserves its own moment.