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Best Brown Sugar Bourbon Baked Beans (Easy Homemade Recipe)

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These Best Brown Sugar Bourbon Baked Beans are the ultimate cookout side dish, featuring a smoky-sweet glaze, tender navy beans, and a subtle warmth from bourbon. Easy to make with pantry staples, they’re a crowd-pleaser that tastes like it simmered all day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cans (15 oz each) navy or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon (if using): In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot. If skipping bacon, add 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter instead.
  2. Sauté the aromatics: Reduce heat to medium-low and add the diced onion to the bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Deglaze with bourbon: Pour in the bourbon and let it bubble for about 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  4. Build the sauce: Add the brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Stir until the brown sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the beans: Gently fold in the drained and rinsed beans until every bean is coated in the sauce.
  6. Simmer low and slow: Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and let the beans simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking.
  7. Finish with crispy bacon: Stir in half the reserved crispy bacon, then sprinkle the rest on top. Let cook uncovered for the last 10 minutes if you want the top to get crusty.
  8. Rest before serving: Let the beans sit for 10-15 minutes off the heat before serving to thicken and meld flavors.

Notes

Don’t skip rinsing the canned beans to control salt. Watch heat to prevent burning due to high sugar content. Let bourbon cook off fully for 2 minutes to remove alcohol. Taste and adjust sweetness or tang after 30 minutes of simmering. Beans taste even better the next day. For oven method: after step 5, transfer to a 9×13 dish, cover with foil, bake at 325°F for 1 hour, then uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more.

Nutrition

Keywords: baked beans, brown sugar, bourbon, cookout, side dish, homemade, bacon, molasses

Find it online: https://prismtaste.com/best-brown-sugar-bourbon-baked-beans-easy-homemade-recipe/