Crockpot Bacon Bourbon Baked Beans.
Things you did this weekend? Tell me.
Things I did this weekend?
-watched some sort of disgusting insect build a nest/cocoon/filfthy mansion underneath my husband’s garage door and had a complete meltdown about it. I looooooathe bugs.
–dropped my iPhone in a vat of buttercream. Not as sweet as it sounds.
-drank a dark chocolate bourbon cherry soda float. I was forced, I tell you. FORCED.
-watched The Notebook and pretended it was real life. Like… my real life.
–met Mario Batali and watched him cook some sauseeeeeege.
-bought a million (more) pieces of neon clothing because I live for the 90s. Even though I have no style, this is one trend that I’ll never let go.
-reminisced about how I used to hairspray the front of my hair into this crazy wave thing while wearing hideous 4-inch raised platform flip flops. WHAT. I hope those stay out of style forever.
-and made baked beans from scratch!
I can’t even believe it. Up until like… a year ago maybe? I didn’t even like baked beans. I had a huge mental block against them. No clue why. But then I ate some good ones, and was hooked for life. I ate them everyday with eggs for about six months straight. I put them inside of sandwiches and ate them on top of potatoes. So the first time I made these, I threw a bunch of random ingredients in the pot and said a little prayer. The next time, I made a few tweaks (…more bourbon) and said another.
And I’ve totally decided that beans are one of my favorite foods. I am absolutely horrific at picking favorites of anything – and I do mean anything – I can’t pick a favorite song, TV show or movie to save my life. Except for right now when I tell you The Notebook is the greatest movie in all the land.
So beans it is. Any and all beans. I eat them every single day, sometimes twice a day. This is a monumental moment in my world, because I’m pretty sure the last time I declared a favorite food was at age twelve when I simply would say “potatoes.” And that’s only because I ate my mom’s potato chip potato casserole like it was going out of style (which it totally was, but don’t worry she still makes it), mashed potatoes, and “baked” potatoes – which in my world was the flesh of a baked potato scoop out on to my plate, covered in salt, pepper and butter then mashed with a fork. Anytime I was given a baked potato in a restaurant the proper way, like wrapped in foil or simply baked and sliced down the middle, I was like…. um, no. This is not a baked potato.
But anyway… bacon, avocados and chocolate would round out the list. Those are the top four, until I change my mind tomorrow.
And now I can easily say I won’t ever grab baked beans in a can again. So much flavor here, so much texture, so much bacon and so much booze. With just a hint of bourbon, these beans are definitely our new go-to recipe. They can be made in advance and with just an hour of prep work you can throw everything in the crockpot and leave them to their own devices.
Summer here we come!
Crockpot Bacon Bourbon Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 10 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- The night before, add beans to a large pot and cover with water. Drain the next morning.
- Bring beans to a boil in a large pot of water, let simmer for 30-40 minutes, then drain. While beans are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until crispy and fat is rendered, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onion, cooking for 8-10 minutes, until caramely and soft. Add in garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.
- Add water, bourbon, brown sugar, bbq sauce, ketchup, ground mustard, vinegar, molasses and worcestershire sauce to the crockpot and whisk well to combine. Add in beans, onions (and all of the bacon fat) and bacon to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours, stirring occasionally. After 10-12 hours, turn crockpot to “warm” setting or turn off completely and let sit anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours, which will help the sauce for the beans thicken even more. These taste even better the next day!
- Note: after 10-12 hours the liquid may still seem “liquidy.” It is imperative to let the beans sit for a while on the lower setting (or on the off setting, still covered) so they become thick and syrupy like traditional baked beans.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
And later I’ll tell you about this bread. Because I love your guts. [/donotprint]
293 Comments on “Crockpot Bacon Bourbon Baked Beans.”
Has anyone tried doubling this recipe? Does it take longer to cook in the crockpot if it’s doubled?
I started these at 4 yesterday afternoon. We ate them 28 hours later. Amazing. Then I ate three helpings and now I’m too full. It was worth it.
These look great. I am having a lot of guests though. Wondering should I try to double the recipe, or just make two batches separately and then heat them up together to serve?
I think doubling would be a lot of liquid and ingredients… I would make 2 batches separately.
Do you think I can freeze them? I would like to make them now for a party in three weeks…
Is there a way that I could make these without the bourbon?!
I’m sorry to bug you with idiotic questions…haha! But…
I’m making these this weekend-holla! I’ll be taking them to a toddler’s birthday party with loads of small children. I was thinking about cutting the bourbon in half and only using a half of a cup. I’m worried that it won’t have the same flavor though. :/ I’m also worried that if I use the full cup, it may still have some alcohol left in it and I don’t want to intoxicate 2 year olds. Your thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated. :)
All of the alcohol burns off during the cooking
Do you think it would work to just throw everything, excepth the beans of course, raw into the Crock pot to simmer together?
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Love your recipe. I’m planning to make it for this weekend’s tailgate. Thought I liked you by your writing style. Knew i liked you when you said, “I love your guts.” You are a riot and my kind of gal.
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I made these this weekend… My first ever try at homemade beans… It was a hit! Had a family party and not a drop left. I made it exactly as posted, I would prob decrease the brown sugar a bit next time, But I managed to put plenty away anyway! This is a keeper….
Thanks for this recipe; it’s just what I was looking for! I tried it last week with dried beans, but didn’t cook them long enough and though it was very tasty, they were still crunchy. I tried again a few days ago with canned beans. (Because it was so damn good!) Baked for three hours and oh, my are they good! Thanks again!
Thank you for this. I made a a couple of hams slow cooked in a homemade Jim Beam Honey Tea Glaze. I saved the shanks and looking at different recipes for baked beans. This helps alot for basic ingredients!!!
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Hi, just wanted to mention, I liked this article. It was funny. Keep on posting!
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I am making these for the fourth of July. would they be alright if I started them tonight and let them cook all night and left them in the crock pot on warm until about 5pm tomorrow? also I am doubling the recipe so I was thinking if I left them in there that long it couldn’t hurt! please let me know what you think!
i think it would be okay but since you will be home, make sure to check them every couple hours. they may need a little liquid or even to be turned to warm for a few hours tonight. all crockpots can differ.
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As a kid, I was forced to eat canned pork and beans. I hated them. With. A. Passion. Then came this recipe. Now, thanks to this recipe, I eat beans like a fat kid eating cake, I can’t stop. Best bean recipe ever. EVER. No really, I mean it! That is all. My name is Tish, and I approve this message.
I came all the way here through like 3 different links for the bread! Bread recipe pleasee!!!
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This might be the winner that finally gets my husband to eat baked beans! Fingers crossed cuz they’re my most loved thing that he hates.
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I found the bourbon too heavy handed in this recipe. I’d cut it down by at least half and add an additional 1/2 cup of ketchup to enhance the tomato side of the flavor. They definitely taste better the next day, as the author suggests!
Wonderful recipe. Because I didn’t have bourbon or molasses, I substituted scotch for the one and corn syrup for the other! I have no comment about the wisdom of substituting scotch for bourbon (necessity being the mother of invention) but, although my beans turned out well, I do suspect that using molasses would have made the result even better.
All that said, this recipe sure is a keeper. Thank you.
Can you tell me what sized Crock Pot you used and if it filled it? Gonna make them this weekend for Super Bowl Crowd! As a side should it feed a lot of people?
This recipe is awesome! Can it be baked in a Dutch oven. If so, what temp and for how long? Thank you very much.
Making these today *finally* after having them bookmarked for probably over a year now. Can’t wait!!
Has this recipe been made without the Bourbon? This recipe sounds incredible however I can’t have any alcohol due to medication I am taking. Is it possible to make it without the bourbon or by substituting it with something else?
I’d use a cup of apple cider or white grape juice instead.
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Okay, they’re cooking in the crock pot as we speak… I would love to hear from some people who have actually made these! I followed the directions exactly! (Well, I added more bacon, because what ya gonna do with 1/4 lb of bacon ends???) :) It smells glorious btw! <3
They were a little too boozy for me, next time I’ll omit the bourbon altogether. Gonna continue cooking them down to see if the booziness goes away. Otherwise, great recipe! Will use canned beans next time too, these ones took a LONG time! :D Really great flavor though, and made cornbread muffins to go with them!
http://12tomatoes.com/2014/05/side-recipe-jalapeo-cornbread-muffins.html
Really yummy ;)
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These look & sound incredible! Has anyone tried this recipe w/out bacon? Just wondering if it can be done meat-free or w/ a bacon-substitute (when cooking for vegetarians)? As a carnivore, it’s hard to imagine them tasting good sans pork, but sometimes you must accomodate. Looking fwd to any advice. Thx!
These look & sound incredible! Has anyone tried this recipe w/out bacon? Just wondering if it can be done meat-free or w/ a bacon-substitute (when cooking for vegetarians)? Has anyone found a worthy alternative that still results in baked beans with a smoky, bbq flavor? Looking fwd to any & all responses. Thx!
I’m curious if regular white vinegar can be substituted for the apple cider vinegar. Can it be an equal substitution, or a combo of white vinegar and apple juice, or no substitution at all? Thanks!
Should I use ground mustard like the spice, or ground mustard like the condiment?
this is what I need to find out also as I’m buying ingredients for this today,i’ll probably just go with the powdered mustard though :/
I’m making these beans now and I am disappointed in the flavor and texture. Very soupy and boozy. Followed every instruction. Our picnic is this afternoon. Turning up the heat and added some bbq sauce to try to salvage. After investing all the time and money on ingredients I am feeling very frustrated.
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