PREP TIME: 10
COOK TIME: 300
SERVES: 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight in a large bowl of water
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup stone-ground or spicy Dijon mustard
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2/3 cup bourbon
- 4 ounces slab bacon, rind removed and diced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
- Drain the beans and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, water, and bourbon until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon until crisp in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Remove the bacon and all but a couple of tablespoons of the bacon grease.
- Add the drained beans to the pot and stir in the bourbon sauce mixture.
- Bring the beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook the beans, stirring every 20 minutes, until the beans are soft and the sauce is very thick, about 4 hours.
- Once the beans are cooked, season them with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the cooked bacon and cook, covered, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer the beans to a serving bowl and serve warm.