Bourbon Baked Beans

These baked beans were absolutely delicious! The bourbon added a maltiness to the beans, and the bacon introduced a rich, salty flavor. This recipe makes a big batch, so we ended up eating the beans almost every day. No complaints, though! They went well with hot dogs, and BLTs, and really any other summertime favorites. Note: this recipe takes 3 hours to bake, not including soaking time for the beans.

1 lb. dried navy beans (about 2 1/2 C)
3 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 C chopped onion
5 C water, divided
1/2 C maple syrup
1/4 C plus 2 T bourbon, divided
1/4 C Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. kosher salt
1 T cider vinegar

Sort and wash beans; place in a large dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand for at least 8 hours. Drain beans and wipe pan dry.

Preheat oven to 350*.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add bacon to pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving 1 1/2 T drippings in pan. Crumble bacon. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook for 5 minutes of until onion begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add beans, bacon, 4 cups water, 1/4 C maple syrup, 1/4 C bourbon, and the next three ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover and bake at 350* for 2 hours.

Stir in remaining 1 C water, remaining 1/4 C maple syrup, and remaining 2 T bourbon. Cover and bake 1 hour or until beans are tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in vinegar and salt.