Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups dried navy beans
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water (plus more if the sauce feels dry)
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked to crisp and coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 green bell pepper (cored and diced)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup good-quality root beer
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup bbq sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place navy beans in a large pot or bowl and cover with water. Enough water that covers about 3-inches over the beans. Allow to soak overnight then drain. Alternately, if you don’t have time, place beans in a large pot and cover the beans with several inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, remove from heat and allow the beans to soak for 1 hour then drain.
- Heat a large, oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add soaked and drained beans and 6 cups of broth or water. Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
- In a separate saucepan, over medium heat cook bacon slices until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp.
- Remove from the pan (leaving the fat in the pan), and place on a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot with the bacon fat. Cook until softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- While the beans simmer and the bacon and onions cook, stir together the bean sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together root beer, ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, dijon, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the large saucepan combine simmered beans and their liquid, cooked onion mixture, the chopped bacon, and sauce.
- Cover the pot with an oven-safe lid and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F, uncover and return to the oven and cook for 1 hour. Replace the lid reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and cook for an additional 2 hours or until the beans are cooked through. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Add more chicken stock or water to thin the mixture if it reduces too much. Enjoy warm and summer long!
