Slow Cooker Baked Beans {Using Dry Beans}

Becca here with a recipe for making traditional baked beans in the slow cooker, beginning with dried beans.  Dried beans are obviously a very economical option, and really require no more extra work or effort, just a bit of planning ahead to allow time for them to soak before cooking.  Making the baked beans in the slow cooker means that you can just add the ingredients in the morning, and the meal is ready for dinner when you are!  Plus, the smell of these cooking all day is amazing!  The beans freeze well, and would be the perfect dish to have while camping!  You could either plug your slow cooker in at the campsite and leave them cooking, or have them already prepared and just heat them over the campfire when you got there.  We enjoyed this on a recent family campout in our backyard, along with our favorite homemade cornbread and banana boats, a recipe I'll be sharing soon.  This makes a very large batch, perfect for sharing at a potluck, or freezing half to have on hand for a quick meal later.  My recipe was inspired by this one.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans {Using Dry Beans}

2 pounds dried great northern beans (navy beans would work fine also)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons salt (I use Real Salt)
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons powdered mustard
1 cup molasses (I used Grandma's original unsulphured)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 slices (4 oz) bacon, coarsely chopped - I use kitchen shears to quickly slice through all 4 at the same time, and use nitrate free bacon
1 cup tomato sauce (ketchup would work also, or 3 Tablespoons tomato paste, whichever you have is fine)

The night before you want to eat the beans, in a large slow cooker (mine is 6 quart), add the dry beans, and fill with water.  Leave sitting overnight to soak.

In the morning, drain off all of the water, and add enough fresh water to just cover the beans.  You'll be adding other liquids, so don't add to much water, just enough to barely cover the beans.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except tomato product (dark brown sugar, salt, black pepper, powdered mustard, molasses, onion, and chopped bacon), cover, and cook on high 8 hours.  Stir in tomato product just before serving.  Enjoy!