Smokey Homemade Baked Beans

Ok, I know what you're thinking...BAKED BEANS? Yup! Something rarely not eaten out of a can but I can assure you, a little extra effort is worth it. I saw this recipe on The Bitten Word, one of my favorite food blogs. They got it from Saveur. These beans are pretty awesome. As awesome as a bowl of beans could be. This is good for a long cold Sunday because while relatively hassle free, they do take a bit of time (6 hours). Your house will smell glorious...until about an hour after you eat them. So it's a good thing there's plenty of delicious aroma to mask the frightful tooting that will ensue.

We paired the beans with some grilled brats and it was glorious.

1 lb dried navy beans
1 medium yellow onion, ends trimmed, left whole
4 whole cloves
8 oz bacon, cut into 1/4" slices
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp dark rum, if you have it
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring the beans and 10 cups of water to a boil in a large dutch oven over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 1 1/2 hrs. Drain the beans.

2. Heat oven to 250.

3. Place the beans back in the dutch oven.

4. Stud the onion with the cloves and place in with the beans along with the bacon, syrup, molasses, dry mustard, and 3 cups of boiling water. Stir to combine.

5. Cover pot and place in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

6. Stir in ketchup and vinegar. Cover again and return to oven for another 3 hours.

7. Stir in rum, season with salt and pepper.