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CROCKPOT PORK & BEANS (a classic side dish for your barbecue)

It is finally warm enough to cook outdoors here (even though we still have snow in some of the shady parts of the yard), so I'm digging out some tried and true make-ahead side dishes for the up-coming barbecue season.

This is a classic recipe at our house (I fix these beans a lot). They have a great flavor and I often (to save time) make them the day before a barbecue so I can just sit them in a heavy pan on the coolest part of the grill to gently warm while the rest of the food cooks.
2 cups DRY navy beans (see note)
5 to 6 cups of water (see note)
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion sauted till sweet
½ pound cooked crisp bacon (crumbled)
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon DRY ground mustard
(1) 8 ounce tomato sauce
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No need to pre-soak the beans, just put everything in a crockpot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours depending on how hot your crockpot cooks (see note). Stir once in a while...thats it!!
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NOTE: I've used this recipe with every kind of dry bean you can imagine. They all work, but the dry white navy beans work the best and don't mush-up.
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NOTE: Start with 5 cups of water. It will seem really soupy in the beginning, but it will thicken up and the beans will absorb most of the water after 8 hours. Once in a while I have to add that last cup of water if the beans need it...just depends on how much liquid you like in your beans.
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NOTE: Every crockpot cooks differently. These beans should be done in 8 hours on LOW. I just got a new crockpot (a real gem). It has a timer for low and high and then it automatically kicks over to "warm" which is wonderful for beans...they won't overcook.
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NOTE: These beans are absolutely delicious on day two & three as well.
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