Smoked "Better than Baked" Beans

These beans are a must have staple at every cook out we ever have. They are tender, full of sweet spicy goodness and compliment a wide variety of main courses. Throw it on the smoker instead of the oven and they don't stand a chance. You might be thinking "oh but I can just BUY a can of already baked beans, that is so much easier!" Which may sound true. But home made beans blow way any canned baked bean you have ever had hands down. Plus when you bring these to a cook out - you can bargain the last bowl for the last cold beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dried great northern beans
• 2 cups of ketchup
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of molasses
• 1 Tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 t celery salt
• pinch cayenne pepper (more if you like it SPICY)
• 1 onion diced fine
• 4 cloves of garlic diced fine
• salt & pepper to taste
• 9-10 slices of bacon, diced

Combine the dried beans with enough water to cover them by about 4 inches and let them soak overnight till swollen.

The next day drain the beans and place them in a large stockpot and add water to cover them by about 4 inches.  Let this come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer till the beans are tender (about an hour).  Drain the beans and reserve about two cups of the simmering liquid.

Place them in the bottom of a large casserole dish with the 2 cups of reserved liquid.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion powder, paprika, ground mustard, celery salt, cayenne pepper and stir to combine.

Pour this sauce over top of the beans and stir to combine.  Set aside.

In a skillet cook 1/2 the bacon till slightly browned.

Remove the bacon and add in the onion and garlic.  Cook till softened (about 3-5 minutes).

Once the garlic and onions are soft add them to the bean mixture.  Crumble in the bacon and add to the bean mixture. Place this mixture in the fridge for a couple hours (preferably overnight if you can).

When you are ready to cook the beans spread the rest of the uncooked bacon on top and place on a 220 to 225 degree smoker for about 2 hours. About 1 hour into cooking stir in the bacon. Serve.

You can also bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!