© Can Stock Photo / fudio
By Jim Hingst
When I was a kid, one
of the half dozen family dinners that my mother would regularly make was beans
and franks. It simply consisted of a few cans of pork and beans with hot dogs
cooked together in a casserole. We always had plenty to eat, but we never
eagerly awaited beans and franks night. It was just ordinary.
The bourbon baked
beans described below are certainly not ordinary. Because this recipe is made
from scratch, preparing the meal is a little more involved than opening a few
cans. The extra effort results in a lot more flavor and a spicy kick to the
meal. Even if you have never liked baked beans, this will be a delicious
side dish for your next barbeque.
This bourbon baked beans
dish uses diced sweet potato as a sweetener. The amounts of molasses and brown
sugar have been cut in half compared to traditional recipes. Sweet potatoes are
a much healthier alternative. These
tubers are packed with antioxidants, vitamins A, C, B3, B5 and B6 along with
manganese, magnesium and copper. Sweet potatoes also contain potassium, which
can help lower your blood pressure.
Adding more beans to
your diet is an inexpensive source of protein and can also help lower cholesterol. In fact, regularly eating this heart-healthy food
can also reduce plaque build-up in your arteries.
Ingredients
6 strips of thick cut
bacon
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced (As a milder and sweeter alternative to
jalapenos, you can replace them with Cubanelle peppers or green bell peppers.)
2 ribs of celery,
diced
1 medium sweet
potato, peeled and diced (optional)
4 garlic cloves,
minced
1 pound of smoked
sausage, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
1 pound of navy beans
soaked in salted water for 24 hours
1 cup (8 ounces) BBQ sauce
1 can beef broth
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown
sugar
½ cup bourbon whiskey
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon smoked
paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne
pepper
2 tablespoons apple
cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1
teaspoon soy sauce
Directions
Soak
one pound bag of dried navy beans in 9 cups of salted water for 24 hours. The salt will help soften the outer skin of
the bean and at the same time prevent the bean from splitting open during
cooking. One pound package of dried beans is
equivalent to three to four 15-ounce cans of beans. After soaking the beans, be sure to thoroughly rinse them.
Fry
6 strips of bacon on low to render some of the fat. Do not cook until it is
crisp. You will want the bacon to be somewhat flexible.
Pour
the bacon fat into a clean container for use later. Do not pour it down the
kitchen sink drain.
Sauté
the onions, celery and peppers in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat until the onions
become translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue to sauté for an
additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Add
the spices to the pan. Mix with the onion, peppers and garlic. Heat for a
minute on medium heat until the spices become fragrant.
You
can also sauté the diced sweet potato in olive oil and butter. This will
caramelize the starches turning them into sugar. Be careful not to burn the
sweet potato.
Transfer
the sauteed vegetables with spices into your slow cooker.
Lightly
brown the diced sausage in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add to the slow cooker.
Deglaze the pan with a can of beef broth.
Add
the beans and other remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook for 6 to 8
hours until the beans are tender. You can also cook the beans in a Dutch oven
on your BBQ grill, which will give the beans a smoky flavor. The beans need to
cook at least for a few hours so the various flavors blend together. Occasionally, stir the beans to prevent them from burning and test the beans for doneness.
If
the beans are too soupy, continue to cook until you achieve the desired
consistency. You can also puree a cup of the beans in a blender or using an immersion blender. On the other hand, if the beans and sausage mixture become too
thick, add more beef broth.
Remove
and discard the bay leaf before serving.
Try these other Signpost Recipes
The Best Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
The Best Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
Bon Appetite!
© 2021 Jim Hingst, All Rights Reserved
