BBQ Baked Beans

This was another great pinterest find. The picture once again got me. It looked absolutely delicious and when I made then they didn't fail to deliver! I served these with chicken burgers.

Please excuse all the steam, they were fresh off the stove!:)

BBQ Baked Beans

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry great northern beans (or small white beans or navy beans) soaked overnight in water and drained of excess
5 c. chicken stock (*see note below)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
 pepper
3/4 c. ketchup
 3/4 c. BBQ sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
 olive oil
12 oz. apple smoked bacon, crisped and chopped
2-3 Tbsp. maple syrup

(*Start with the 5 cups of chicken stock; as the beans cook, you may need to add additional water in small increments if the beans are still a bit hard but are absorbing the liquid.)

Add the soaked beans to a large pot; next, add in the chicken stock, the diced onion, the garlic, a few generous pinches of salt and of cracked black pepper, the ketchup, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, ground cumin and paprika, plus the brown sugar, molasses and a generous drizzle of olive oil, and stir the ingredients together; place the pot over high heat, uncovered, and once the contents begin to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low or low, partially cover with a lid, and simmer the beans for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally (you may need to add the additional water during the latter part of the cooking process once the beans begin to absorb the liquid), or until the beans are tender and the sauce is rich and thick.

Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat; add in the crisped and chopped bacon, the maple syrup stir to incorporate; finally, check your seasoning to make sure that there is enough salty/sweet flavor, and adjust if necessary.

Slightly adapted from The Cozy Apron