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These southern style Homemade Bacon, Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baked Beans are jam packed with bold BBQ flavor and taste a billion times better than the stuff from a can!  Smoky, spicy, and sweet, these beans are perfect for your next potluck, barbecue or summer soiree!   This recipe includes instructions for canned or dried beans, plus directions for the oven, stove top and slow cooker!

Overhead shot of Homemade Bacon, Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baked Beans in a galvanized bucket with a serving spoon. White linen, beer bottle, caps and beer opener in background.

**This post was originally published in June 2015.  I took new photos and updated the recipe.  The actual written words in this post remain the same.**

Hi-ya all!  Happy almost Father’s Day weekend!

I hope all the daughters (or wives) have plans to show the love and provide lots of fantastic food for dad this weekend!

And, I hope all the papas out there bask in the love and laughter!

Today I am sharing a recipe for magical fruit, because no summer gathering is really complete without them.

But first, I want to talk about me for a hot minute.  🙂

There is an ever present and reoccurring theme in my life as of late.  The theme that tragedy and heartache are accompanied by joyful moments and cheer.  I do not want to dwell on, or talk about, the heartbreaking events that occurred over the weekend, but instead, I would like to share a wonderful one.

Angled shot of Homemade Bacon, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Baked Beans in a large pot being stirred with a wooden spoon

You may (or may not) have noticed the Daily Meal banner on the side this site.  It’s there because I am a part of their Culinary Content Network.   (UPDATE: Banner is no longer there)

Every week they have a ‘Sharing With A Theme’ recipe round-up, and this past week the theme was shrimp.  My margarita shrimp taco tarts landed me the coveted spot of the week’s recipe winner.  (<—That is just the good news)

The article was picked up by MSN.com and featured on their homepage Saturday.  The wonderful news is that one of my photos was the feature photo for the article.  Therefore, my tart photo was on the homepage of MSN all day Saturday.  (You can check out the article here.)

I understand that this fete may not seem like a big deal to some people.  But to me, it is huge.  So I am going to bask in the glory and Woot-Woot it up, dang it!

(Insert feet kicked up and me lounging in the wondrousness of life here…)

Extreme close-up shot of Homemade Bacon, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Baked Beans being stirred with a wooden spoon

Okay, enough gloating.  Onto beans, beans… the magical fruit!

Bourbon Brown Sugar Baked Beans with Candied Bacon.

These beans are a part of the #NSNThrill4UrGrill series and they are the perfect side dish for any BBQ, grill out, or outdoor shindig.

I know everyone has a recipe for baked beans, and everyone claims theirs are the best.  I’m not bold (or naïve) enough to stake that claim.

I have not tried every single bean recipe out there.

Plus, I’m not about to hate on everyone else’s recipe just to make mine seem better.  That’s kinda lame and I simply don’t roll like that.

I can, however, confidently state that these beans right here, they are pretty freggin’ epic.

Boy has been devouring these melt in your mouth, magically delicious beans thrice daily for a week and has requested I make more.

These baked bad boys are smoky, boozy, spicy, sweet, meaty and tender.  And, they are jam packed with bold, bodacious BBQ flavor.

Not to mention, they are a BILLION times better than that crap in a can.

But, they are made even more amazing with the addition of candied bacon.  Because, well… candied bacon!  Hello!?

The sweet crispness of the bacon adds that je-ne-sais-quoi to the beans and takes their flavor to a stratospheric level of yum.

Close-up angled shot of Homemade Bacon, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Baked Beans in a galvanized bucket being scooped and served with a spoon

These beans rock the dang house, but instead of taking my word for it, you should most definitely make these beans for your next BBQ hoedown.  I can guarantee everyone will love them.  Until next time, Cheers and happy cooking!

-xoxo-

Cheyanne

4.82 from 16 votes
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Easy Homemade Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baked Beans {with Candied Bacon}
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
1 hrs 45 mins
 
These southern style Homemade Bacon, Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baked Beans are jam packed with bold BBQ flavor and a billion times better than the stuff from a can! Smoky, spicy, sweet and slightly boozy, these beans are perfect for your next potluck, barbecue or summer soiree!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 516 kcal
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth-Bany
Ingredients
  • ½ Pound Thick Cut Bacon , cut into pieces
  • 1 medium Yellow Onion , finely diced (about heaping cup)
  • ½ Green Bell Pepper , finely diced (about ½ cup)
  • 3 large Cloves Garlic , minced
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans Navy Beans , drained and rinsed*
  • 1 Cup Bourbon
  • 1 Cup Ketchup
  • ½ Cup Brown Sugar , packed
  • 1/3 Cup Molasses
  • 2 TBS Yellow Mustard (can substitute Dijon)
  • 2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper , to taste
  • 1 Cup Hot Water or Broth* (more as needed)
Candied Bacon: (optional)
  • ½ pound Thick Cut Bacon
  • ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar , packed
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat* and add chopped bacon. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the onion, bell pepper and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant and the bacon is browned, about 1 minute.
  2. Add in the remaining ingredients (if using slow cooker method, reduce water to ½ cup*), stirring to make sure everything is well combined. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring everything to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid.
  3. OVEN: Cover pot and transfer it to a preheat 300 degree F oven. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove the lid, stir, and continue to bake until the sauce is thickened and sticky, about an additional 30-45 minutes. If needed during baking, add more water to adjust consistency.
  4. STOVE TOP: Cover pot and reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring at 30 minute intervals, for 1 ½ hours, or until the sauce is thickened and sticky.
  5. SLOW COOKER: (Make sure you reduced water to ½ cup in step 2) Transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on LOW.
  6. Taste beans and adjust for salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled candied bacon if using.
  7. For the candied bacon: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place a wire rack insert into the sheet pan. In a shallow dish combine the sugar, cayenne, cinnamon and a pinch of black pepper. Working one slice of bacon at a time, press and rub the sugar mixture onto the bacon. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with remaining slices of bacon. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon is crip and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Allow to cool. Cut or crumble bacon into desired sized pieces.
Recipe Notes

*You can substitute any kind of beans you would like: Northern, Pinto, Red Kidney Beans, or use a mix of two!

 

*If your bacon is lean, add a small drizzle of oil to the pan before adding the bacon. *If the beans aren’t thickened and sticky, continue to cook them with the lid OFF until mixture thickens to desired consistency.

 

*If you want to cook the beans in the oven AND garnish with candied bacon, cook the candied bacon in advance. It will keep in a zip-closure bag, or container with a tight fitting lid, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*To Use Dried Beans: (You will need 1 pound of dried beans)

1. Soak Beans:

Overnight method: Whisk together 8 cups of water with ½ tsp baking soda and 2 TBS kosher salt in a large pot. Add the beans, cover, and let soak at room temperature overnight (or about 8 hours). Transfer to a colander to drain and rinse well with running water.

Quick soak method: Place beans in a large pot with ½ tsp baking soda and 2 TBS kosher salt. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2-3’’. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 3 minutes. Remove beans from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Transfer beans to a colander to drain and rinse well with running water.

2. Cook Beans: Add beans back to the pot and add enough water to cover the beans by 3’’. Bring beans to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 1 hour. Drain and proceed with recipe as instructed.

Nutrition Facts
Easy Homemade Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baked Beans {with Candied Bacon}
Amount Per Serving
Calories 516 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 483mg 20%
Potassium 850mg 24%
Total Carbohydrates 66g 22%
Dietary Fiber 14g 56%
Sugars 30g
Protein 16g 32%
Vitamin A 3%
Vitamin C 8.4%
Calcium 13.6%
Iron 22.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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