Hot and Smoky Beer Beans

I volunteer to work funeral luncheons at church. It started as a way to get out of the house and have something to do. Now, I really really like it. I get to cook recipes I either never get to cook, like mac and cheese, or recipes that would be dangerous to keep around the house, like these cookies. But also I get to feel helpful, which I really like.

Today though was different. Today a very popular older man was buried. And while there were a bunch of little old ladies at church for the funeral luncheon who reminded me of Grandma Mazur in the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novels. You know, the downright tiny old women who go to funerals because they're the most exciting things in town. Anyway, so it was a standard funeral until the end. I put on my coat and grabbed my plate of leftover brownies for my husband. They always push the extra food on me and sometimes I take it for the Brain. So the recent widow saw me start to leave and came over and hugged me and thanked me for working the funeral luncheon when I'd never met her before.

I felt so SAD all of the sudden. It was like here was this nice woman and suddenly her husband was dead. And yet she handled it with such grace. I have never felt so touched. Here this woman was dealing with her grief and her family and the funeral and she thought to come over to me, the girl she didn't know pouring coffee for people and thank me. Really impressive.

So tonight I needed some comfort food. And what better comfort food is there than some spicy baked beans? Spicy baked beans with bacon and beer! OK, if you were a vegetarian, or for some other reason willingly deprived yourself of bacon, then you could leave the bacon out and just use some olive oil. But seriously this is good. I rinsed the beans because I have unnatural fear of bean goo. I have issues. I know. But bean goo is just beyond gross to me even if it would make the liquid thicker. These beans, some nice thick slices of this bread slathered with butter makes the ultimate in comfort food. So delicious.

Hot and Smoky Beer Beans

adapted from Bon Appetit

3 bacon slices

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup purchased barbecue sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray's)

1/2 cup dark beer (such as Elliot Ness Amber Lager)

2 Tbsp dark molasses

4 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 (15oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Transfer bacon grease to large bowl. Finely chop bacon and add to bowl. Add onion, barbecue sauce, beer, molasses, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce and whisk to blend. Whisk in cayenne pepper. Stir in beans. Pour bean mixture into 8x8 inch dish and put in the oven to bake for about an hour or until it gets bubbly and thickens.

Cool 10 minutes.