Shelly's Recipe

BOURBON BBQ BAKED BEAN CASSEROLE

Category: Beans

6 strips of thick cut bacon, cooked until almost crisp and chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsley chopped
1 jalapeno, or more or less to your taste, coarsley chopped
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (15 oz) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (16 oz) can Baked Beans
1 cup Kansas City style BBQ sauce
4 tbsp molasses, any grade
1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey
2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

Add the onions and peppers to the sames skillet the bacon was cooked in and saute until the onions are transparent; drain. While the vegetables are sauting, add remaining ingredients to a dutch oven. Stir in the sauteed vegetables and bacon. Bake, uncovered, for 2 hours at 250. Stirring about every 30 minutes to prevent them from sticking.

Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the flavor and seasonings -- Spicier, add hot sauce; sweeter, add more molasses, or salt if needed. NOTE The longer it cooks, the thicker it becomes. If it becomes to thick, stir in some water to thin it down.