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Sweet 'n Smokey, Bourbon or Cognac “Baked” Beans with Thick-cut Apple Smoked Bacon, M

Jeffrey R.

Well-known member
Sweet 'n Smokey, Bourbon or Cognac “Baked” Beans with Thick-cut Apple Smoked Bacon, Maple & Cracked Black Pepper


:glutton:

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry great northern beans (or small white beans, navy beans or cattle beans) Your Choice.
Beans should be soaked in cold water for at least eight hours so that they'll cook faster, more evenly, and also to minimize the unpleasant effects that have earned them their "musical fruit" reputation.

If you're short on time, you can use your pressure cooker to "quick soak" beans in a matter of minutes. To quick soak beans in a pressure cooker, rinse and sort beans, and add them to the pressure cooker with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt for each cup of beans. Cover the pressure cooker and lock the lid in place, bring to high pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain pressure and cook for 2 - 4 minutes. Release pressure by the cold water method: carrying the pressure cooker to the sink and running cold water over the lid (but not the valve). Drain the beans, and they're ready to use in your recipe.

2 cups chicken stock (*see note below)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
• pinch Salt
• cracked black pepper
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Pinch or two ground cumin
• Pinch or two smoked paprika
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
• Olive oil
12 oz apple smoked bacon, crisped and chopped
(*see note below)
4 tablespoons Pure maple syrup Grade B
(*see note below)
2 tablespoons Cognac or bourbon
(*see note below)

(*Start with 5 cups if you soaked the beans 2 cups if you went with the pressure cooker of chicken stock; as the beans cook, you may need to add additional water in small increments if the beans are still a bit hard but are absorbing the liquid.)

Preparation:

Preheat your Griswold Cast Iron Dutch Oven in the oven at 250 deg.(Griswold has better flavor):biggrin:
Rub some olive oil around the in side of your Dutch Oven. Add the diced onion and the garlic. Let them sweat while you get the rest of the ingredients.

Add the rest of the Ingredients to a large bowl; add in the chicken stock, a few generous pinches of salt and of cracked black pepper, the ketchup, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, ground cumin and paprika, plus the brown sugar, molasses and a generous drizzle of olive oil, and stir the ingredients together; place the soaked beans into the Dutch Oven, add the mixed Ingredients.

Cooking:

(If Beans were soaked in cold water for at least eight hours.)
Place the Dutch Oven over high heat, uncovered, and once the contents begin to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low or low, partially cover with a lid, and simmer the beans for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally (you may need to add the additional water during the latter part of the cooking process once the beans begin to absorb the liquid), or until the beans are tender and the sauce is rich and thick.



(If you went with the quick soak beans in a pressure cooker.)
Place the Dutch Oven back into the oven with the lid on and bring the temp up to 350 deg. You will not be adding very much additional water, if any.
They will cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Half way through cooking take off the lid, so the sauce will get rich and thick.

Apple smoked bacon, crisped and chopped.
In a cold Griswold Skillet, (Griswold has better flavor) :biggrin:
Place the bacon into the skillet and place into the oven, bring the temp. up to 250. Slow cook out the fat, and drain off. Bring the temp up to 275 and crisp up the bacon. Remove, drain and chop.


-Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat; add in the crisped and chopped bacon, the maple syrup and the Cognac or bourbon, and stir to incorporate; finally, check your seasoning to make sure that there is enough salty/sweet flavor, and adjust if necessary; serve the beans warm alongside your favorite grilled meats, hot dogs or other favorite BBQ items.

Notes; I used my Griswold #9 Dutch Oven.(Griswold has better flavor, Oh! you get that Ok?) :biggrin:
2 lbs fit in the #9 Dutch Oven.

I used 2 lb.. of dry beans
1 lb. Great Northern Beans ( small)
1 lb. Maine Jacob’s Cattle Beans ( LARGE)
Double the Ingredients.

1 large Spanish Onion or Your Choice.

Barbecue Sauce - 1/2 Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce. 1/2 Open Pit Barbecue Sauce.

Maple Syrup - Vermont Pure maple syrup Grade B Made here on our farm ( The Good Stuff)

Bourbon or Cognac or Your Choice.


https://picasaweb.google.com/114772661409714296598/JeffreyR#6095393644653370946

Your Choice. :icon_thumbsup:
 
I think I might try this next time It's my turn to cook at work. Coming up in a few weeks I think.


1 lb. Great Northern Beans ( small)
1 lb. Maine Jacob’s Cattle Beans ( LARGE)

I'm a black eyed pea / Lima bean guy, so I'll have to figure out where I can get these.


Preheat your Griswold Cast Iron Dutch Oven in the oven at 250 deg.(Griswold has better flavor)

Dangit! I have a No.9 Griswold, a No.8 Griswold, and a No. 10 Wagner. Will all of this fit in a No. 9?? I want that good Griswold flavor. :mrgreen: I might have to resort to one of my Erie kettles.

Notes; I used my Griswold #9 Dutch Oven.
Ah!!! I read down further again. I'm saved from Wagner flavored beans.. If Wagner beans are bad, just imagine how bad Camp Chef beans are. :icon_crap:

Sweet Baby Ray’s
My sauce of choice.
 
I think I might try this next time It's my turn to cook at work. Coming up in a few weeks I think.


1 lb. Great Northern Beans ( small)
1 lb. Maine Jacob’s Cattle Beans ( LARGE)

I'm a black eyed pea / Lima bean guy, so I'll have to figure out where I can get these.
Don't think of opening a can. :biggrin:




Dangit! I have a No.9 Griswold, a No.8 Griswold, and a No. 10 Wagner. Will all of this fit in a No. 9?? I want that good Griswold flavor. :mrgreen: I might have to resort to one of my Erie kettles.

Erie, will work. The # 9 will fill to about 1/2" from the top. I now have my new # 10 cleaned and ready.


Ah!!! I read down further again. I'm saved from Wagner flavored beans.. If Wagner beans are bad, just imagine how bad Camp Chef beans are. :icon_crap:
Stay away from the The Mercury Myth.:icon_scratchchin:


My sauce of choice.
:icon_thumbsup:
 
Well, winter is just not ready to give up, and I ran out of baked beans. Today was the first day that is hit 32 degrees, OH! Above 0 in over a month. So I took the above recipe and made 3+ pounds this time. I had to use my # 10 Griswold Dutch Oven, as the #9 will do only 2 pounds. Remember (Griswold has better flavor, Oh! You get that Ok?):biggrin: Also I used different beans and went with the Bourbon this time as I used Cognac last time. So the beans that I used were State of Maine Soldier Beans, from Green Thumb Farm in Fryeburg Maine, and also Cranberry Beans from Bob's Red Mill Brand. The other thing is this time I crisped the chopped bacon right in the dutch oven then drained and set the crisped bacon aside for the finnish. I then added 2 large red Onion chopped and the garlic. So I took some photos this time. First photo is of the beans before going into the oven. The second photo is of the last three Ingredients. The crisped bacon, Pure Vermont Maple Syrup, and a hit of Jim Beam for the chief, OH! Save some for the beans.:icon_thumbsup:
Time for a new bottle of Jim Beam.

2 Photos to the right;
https://picasaweb.google.com/114772661409714296598/JeffreyR#6121407315627482306

So for dinner to go with the beans, I dug the smoker out of the snow bank and fired it up and melted off all the ice and snow. Added in a Lemon olive oil and boursin herb rub whole chicken. Well I did not use any cast iron in cooking the chicken so I guess I can not leave you the recipe. Is that the rule?:chuckle:
 
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