Crock-pot Baked Beans

I personally am I huge fan of baked beans; however I always find myself having to “doctor up” the canned beans, no matter what seasoning they already have. To solve this problem I decided to make my own beans at home. I was able to season them to my liking, and they turned out absolutely amazing. I think that the greatest part of this recipe is that it is really simple to make.

If you decided to make these beans, you can obviously use whatever spices that you like, but this is just my base recipe.

What You’ll Need…

1lb Dried Beans (Pinto, Kidney, Black, Red… any kind you like.)

6-8 Cups Water

1 Bell Pepper (Chopped)

½ Large Onion (Chopped)

½ Cup Ketchup

2Tablespoons Mustard (Any kind you like; stone ground works well.)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce  

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Dried Basil

1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence

4-6 Slices Bacon (I personally use turkey bacon.)

Start out by sorting and rinsing 1lb (about two cups) of beans. To do this use a mesh strainer. Once the beans have been drained place them in a large stock pot with 6-8 cups of water and allow it to come to a boil. Allow the water to boil for 2 minutes and then turn the heat off. Cover the pot and allow the beans to soak for 1 hour. Once the beans have soaked for an hour drain them and move them to your crock-pot. (For those of you that would rather soak the beans overnight: place the sorted and rinsed beans in a pot with 6-8 cups of water. Allow the beans to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours before draining them.)

While the beans are finishing their soak you can move onto the vegetables. Chop the pepper and onion to whatever size you like; I personally like a smaller dice so that there is a possibility of veggies in every bite.

When the beans are finished soaking and have been moved to the crock-pot add the veggies, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and spices. Top the mixture with bacon.

Allow the beans to cook on low for at least 6 hours, stirring every hour.

Once the beans are done enjoy as a side to just about anything.  Careful, they’re hot.