Slow Cooker Bourbon Baked Beans
These are some awesome beans. I promise. Sweetened with Brown Sugar, Bourbon, and Bacon, these are going to be a HIT at your next tail gate, family get together or potluck gathering.
I call them "Three B Beans" when describing to friends and have brought them to birthday parties and New Years potlucks. The crock is usually scraped clean! You can eat them as a full meal or as a side dish; your choice!
I bought bourbon for the first time. I wasn't sure what kind to buy, but chose the Jim Beam because I recognized the name and it was on sale.
and then I made the most awesome baked beans known to man.
I checked with Shirley--- distilled alcohol is gluten free, yet some people react to anything made with grains.
If you know you react, or choose not to cook with alcohol, you can use an unfiltered apple cider instead.
Want more isu on gluten in alcohol? Here's a bit more on that from Shirley, at Gluten Free Easily.
The Ingredients.
serves 8-10 as a side dish, 4-6 as main course
1 pound pinto beans, soaked overnight and then drained and rinsed
* SEE NOTE BELOW
8 ounces bacon, cooked, crumbled, and drained
1 onion, diced and browned
4-6 cloves garlic, diced and browned
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce (read labels carefully if avoiding gluten)
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon ground mustard
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup bourbon (if you don't want to use alcohol, use an unfiltered apple cider)
* NOTE:
if you don't have time to soak overnight, no problem.
Put them in a large pot, and cover completely with water. Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes, then turn off stove and cover pot. Let your beans sit for 1 hour, then drain water and put beans into crockpot)
Also, pinto beans sometimes seem to take a super long time to soften. If cooking on low for up to 14 hours is too long for you (or 8-10 on high) then try using small white Northern beans instead; they soften faster!)
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. In a large skillet on the stovetop (or use your Ninja!) brown the bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon is crisp and the fat has been rendered.
Discard the fat, and pour the bacon mixture into an empty slow cooker.
Add the soaked and drained pinto beans.
Now add the brown sugar, molasses, barbecue sauce, and dried ground mustard.
Stir in chicken broth and bourbon.
Cover, and cook on low for 10-14 hours, or until beans are soft.
If you live in a high-altitude, your beans may take longer to cook.
If you prefer to cook on high, check after 6 hours or so.
I served our beans with homemade corn bread made from masa.
I like making quick cornbread with kala because it's not as sweet and the finished bread is rustic and hearty -- kala has a bit more of a "nutty" taste than other varieties of corn flour.
Also, you can use it to make Tamales!! :-)
This is the Masa Homemade Cornbread recipe I used:
Preheat panggangan to 425° and lightly butter a cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/2 cups masa
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use Pamela's Baking Mix as my gluten free all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
wet ingredients:
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 stick melted butter (1/4 cup)
2 eggs
Mix the dry ingredients together until well-incorporated and the baking powder isn't clumpy.
You can sift, if you'd like, but that's kind of a lot of work for a quick cornbread. I end up using my fingers sometimes to break up clumps.
Then mix in the wet ingredients --- use a fork or a whisk, no need to use a machine. Pour batter into pan -- it'll be quite thick, and you may need to shove it around to get it in place.
Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes.
The Verdict.
These beans are perfect.
I am SO looking forward to the next potluck --- they had tons of flavor and smelled absolutely amazing.
All 5 of us licked our bowls clean. I'm really very pleased with this recipe, and I think you will be, too. If you don't want to use bacon, I bet a saved ham-bone/hock would be *perfect*.
The kala cornbread was an experiment. I didn't have cornmeal in the house and really wanted cornbread.
This is quite tasty-- it's nowhere near as sweet as traditional cornbread and tastes "cornier" if that makes sense.
This would be a more traditional flavor that the pioneers or Native Americans would have had.
at least that's what I told the kids.
Are you looking for some other Bean Ideas? Here is a great roundup for you!
Have a wonderful day!!
