Baked Beans

Yield: 8 servings
Time: 4.5 hours

1 lb navy beans (soak in water overnight)
4 c chicken stock (sodium free or low sodium)
1 c ketchup
½ c dark brown sugar (or light brown + 1 Tbsp molasses)
2 c diced onion
12 oz Applewood smoked bacon (cut into 3/8″ dice)
1 tsp dry mustard
2 bay leaves (fresh, if possible)
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on taste)
kosher salt (to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Drain soaked beans and set aside. In a Dutch Oven over medium heat, cook diced bacon until most of the fat has rendered out. Remove bacon and set aside; leave rendered fat in pot. Add onions to pot and cook until translucent. Season with salt and black pepper. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and cayenne and stir with onion mixture until combined. Let cook for 1-2 minutes until ketchup starts to caramelize. Add chicken stock, beans, bacon, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and then move to preheated oven. Cook 3 to 4 hours. Beans should be ‘al dente’.

Chef’s Notes

You can use a smoked ham hock instead of smoked bacon. Just use 2 tablespoons of oil instead of rendering bacon fat. Add ham hock just before putting in oven.