Bourbon Baked Beans

• ¾ pound navy beans, soaked overnight
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

After beans have been soaked overnight, drain, transfer to a large pot, and add 4 cups of water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 to 1 ¼ hours until the beans have softened. (1 ½ hours at high altitude)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid for later. Stir in onion, ketchup, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, bourbon, liquid smoke, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 1 ½ quart casserole dish or bean pot. Stir in enough of the cooking liquid to cover the beans by ¼ inch, reserving any extra cooking liquid.

Cover and bake 30 minutes; then reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake 4 to 5 hours more, stirring occasionally and adding a small amount of reserved cooking liquid if the beans appear dry. Once the beans are tender, remove them from the oven, stir, and set them aside 15 minutes. Serve.

Yield: 8 servings