My slow cooker gets such a workout this time of year. But I’m not willing to fully give up “summer” foods just yet. I had a craving for baked beans recently, so I decided to make a batch in my slow cooker and serve it with a cheeseburger and cornbread. Yum. This recipe is a “Boston Baked Beans” recipe, meaning it uses molasses in the recipe.
This recipe uses bacon that was sent to me by ButcherBox, a company that delivers 100% grass-fed beef and other protein to your door. The company partners with a collective of small farms to deliver high quality products at an affordable price.
Butcher Box is a subscription service, so the boxes are mailed monthly.
The boxes come with 7-10 pounds of meat (20+ servings). There are a bunch of options: All Beef, Beef & Chicken, Beef & Pork, or Mixed (Beef, Chicken & Pork, which is what I received).
The Mixed box includes 100% grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and all-natural pork. Most of the meat comes frozen (the bacon was not), so you can stick it right in your freezer and eat when convenient for you. I’ll have future recipes using the rest of the ingredients in the box, but for now, they are in my freezer.
This recipe also includes the best way to make bacon, in my humble opinion. Making bacon in the oven allows you to make quite a bit at a time, and the bacon doesn’t shrink up as much as it cooks. On to the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked in water overnight
- 10 oz bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- additional water or beef broth, as needed
The night before, add your beans to a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak overnight and drain, reserving the liquid in a separate bowl. If there is less than 3 cups of the reserved liquid, add either water or some beef broth to bring the total liquid to 3 cups.
Add the bacon to a rack over a cookie sheet.
Add to a non-preheated oven and turn the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy. Times can vary depending on thickness of the bacon, so start checking on it around 13 minutes in, just to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Remove from the oven when cooked and let cool. Chop into bite sized pieces.
Combine the molasses, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cloves, and bay leaf in a medium sized bowl.
Add in the reserved liquid from the beans and stir to combine.
Add the beans, bacon, and mixture to your slow cooker, stirring to combine.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender. You may need to add a bit more liquid (can use water or beef broth) after a few hours if the beans need more.
Serve as a side dish to a grilled meal, or however else you enjoy baked beans.
This makes a ton of beans, so it’s a great recipe for a huge gathering. We ate them one night, and then over the weekend, reheated the leftovers to make an Irish breakfast and they were even better the second time around!
What are your favorite ways to eat baked beans?
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked in water overnight
- 10 oz bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- additional water or beef broth, as needed
Instructions
- The night before, add your beans to a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak overnight and drain, reserving the liquid in a separate bowl. If there is less than 3 cups of the reserved liquid, add either water or some beef broth to bring the total liquid to 3 cups.
- Add the bacon to a rack over a cookie sheet.
- Add to a non-preheated oven and turn the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy. Times can vary depending on thickness of the bacon, so start checking on it around 13 minutes in, just to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Remove from the oven when cooked and let cool. Chop into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the molasses, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cloves, and bay leaf in a medium sized bowl.
- Add in the reserved liquid from the beans and stir to combine.
- Add the beans, bacon, and mixture to your slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender. You may need to add a bit more liquid (can use water or beef broth) after a few hours if the beans need more.
