Baked Beans

This is a great recipe to accompany anything at a summer barbecue. This recipe belongs to our Grandma Midge and has been in the family for years. I am pretty sure our dad ate this as a kid. It reminds me of many family Fourth of Julys. I have been making this recipe a lot since the purchase of the new grill. It sounds labor intensive due to the cook times, but once you have prepared the sauce, you can leave it alone and just remember to check on it occasionally.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried navy beans or small white beans, rinsed and soaked for up to 8 hours
8 oz bacon chopped (I used prosciutto or it could be eliminated all together)
1 cup finely chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
2 c ketchup
6 T maple syrup
6 T dark molasses
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t pepper

Directions:
Rinse beans after soaking for up to 8 hours. Boil in an oven proof pot for 45 minutes until tender, drain and reserve 1 c of cooking liquid. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cook bacon in flame proof baking dish, until crisp, add onion and garlic, saute an additional 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook until dissolved and slightly bubbly. Add remaining ingredients. Cook in oven 2 1/2 hours stirring every half hour. Remove lid and cook an additional 30 minutes prior to serving. Add reserved cooking liquid if sauce becomes too thick.