The irony of this recipe is… there is no baking. But, if I said sweet & salty bourbon beans, truth be told it describes it; but, not in that familiar way we all know the dish. These are that quintessential molasses laden, creamy, and glorious bean that has a tendency to find its way to the BBQ table.
They are deliciously sweet, salty & savory, and the Jim Beam adds a sassy little hint of flavor that can’t be pinpointed, but would most certainly be missed. Plus they are creamier and yet firmer than canned beans. Beans are an awesome power-food, people – eat them!
You can make these in a dutch oven or let them simmer away in the slow cooker while you tackle the rest of your dinner plans. To me these compliment grilled meat perfectly and they are good hot or cold. Plus you can be very British and eat them tomorrow on toast for breakfast. (When it is not the 4th of July and your neighbors won’t judge you, as harshly…)
You could totally short cut the process and use canned beans, but don’t cheat yourself! Dry beans have a better flavor and texture. AND they are cheap!
JIM BEAM BAKED BEANS (PRINT RECIPE HERE)
- 1lb dry navy beans
- 5-7 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup dark molasses
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dry mustard
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon pepper
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
- 1-2 Tablespoons Tabasco
- 1/2 cup Jim Beam Bourbon
Directions
2. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Once cooked, removed and place on a paper towel. Add the onion to the rendered fat and cook about 2 minutes until soft; add 1/4 cup white sugar and cook on medium for another 3 minutes. Add the beans, 4 cups water, bay leaves, and half of your cooked bacon, diced small. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the beans have softened. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.
3. Stir in the molasses, mustard, bourbon, Tabasco, brown sugar, remaining white sugar (1/4 cup), pepper and salt. Return the pot to the stove and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 hours, until very tender.
I pushed “print” and got 10 pages of informaton much of it columns of words. I don’t appreciate the waste of paper and ink.
I honestly hadn’t tried to print anything since I switched themes, so I had no idea and I am so sorry about that! I will start uploading a printable word or pdf document to correct the problem. Thanks so much for your feedback, it really helps.