Beth's Baked Money Beans
By Beth Jones
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Heirloom beans, I used Money Beans from The Bean Market, washed and checked for debris, soaked overnight
- ½ pound bacon, chopped (optional)
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 1 clove garlic
- 12 ounces beer of your choice
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
- Pinch of salt
- 6-8 cups hot water (enough to cover the ingredients in the pot by 1 inch)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste at the end of cooking
Instructions
Thoroughly wash the dried beans, and check for small pebbles or other debris. Soak the beans overnight in a large pot with the water covering the beans by 2 inches.
Drain the beans the next day. In a medium pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and add the onion. Cook until nicely browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Put all the ingredients into a crockpot, adding enough water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch. Cook on high heat for 2-4 hours, or until the beans are tender. Cooking times can vary dramatically depending on the age of the beans, and the heat of your crockpot, so keep checking for tenderness and add liquid if the pot is looking too dry. When the beans are tender and the liquid absorbed, season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve with Beth’s Choripan – Argentinian Sausage Sandwiches with Chimichurri for a delicious market meal!
