| Ingredients: 1 pound dried black beans
12 strips bacon chopped
Olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup vinegar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cups water
1/2 cup dark rum
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:1. The night before: Clean the beans and place them in a covered pan with enough water to cover. Bring the beans to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and soak the beans overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 275 F.
3. Fry the bacon until the fat is rendered into the pan and the bacon is moderately crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
4. Use the bacon grease and a little olive oil to sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add chicken stock, vinegar, ginger, pepper, honey, brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon to the pan. Bringing to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Add the water, the beans and the cooked bacon. Keep stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans are tender about one hour. Taste the beans and add salt and pepper to taste. They will taste very sweet at this point. Baking will infuse this sweetness into the beans.
6. Place the beans in a large covered casserole. (Suitable for oven use.) Stir in rum, cover, and bake for 6 1/2 to 7 hours.
7. Remove the lid during the last half hour. This will allow the top to brown. They need to be crusty on top. |
