Shelly's Recipe

BOURBON BBQ BAKED BEANS

Category: Beans

6 strips of thick cut bacon, 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 ounces) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (15 ounces) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (15 ounces) can black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 (16 ounces) can baked beans
1/2 cup raisins
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

Options to add:
Use all one type of bean.
1 tsp chili powder or ancho powder.
1 tsp rosemary leaves (not powder).
1 tart apple such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cubed, and add it with the whiskey.
Substitute hot dogs for bacon and you have Beanie Weiners.
Substitute poblanos for bell peppers. Richer flavor and a little heat.

In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over a medium heat and stir until it begins to brown but remove it before it renders all its fat and gets hard. Add the onions and peppers and cook them until they wilt. Pour off the bacon fat but leave behind about 2 tbsp and most of the brown bits dissolved in the fat. Add remaining ingredients.

There are three good ways to cook these beans:
1. On your grill/smoker. If you have a smoker, put them below the meat for about 3 hours at 225F. They will collect flavorful, smoky drippings from the meat laden with seasoning from the rub. Just be sure they do not burn.

2. In your oven. Put the pot in your oven uncovered for 2 hours at 250. Stir every 30 minutes to make sure they do not burn.

3. On the stovetop. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and then turn it back to simmer for 30 minutes without a lid. Stir and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes to prevent burning and sticking. Try to keep the bay leaf submerged.

Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the flavors as you see fit. If you like it spicier, add hot sauce. Add more molasses if you like it sweeter, or salt if you think it needs it. Cook it longer if you want it thicker, or add water if you want it thinner.