Best Baked Beans (Bob Morano)

Ingredients

• 3 pieces bacon, sliced or diced
• 1 cup small-dice onion, carrot and celery (total)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (up to 6)
• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cans (15 oz) white beans, such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (up to 2 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup minced parsley and chives
• 2 tbsp cold butter, in pats

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.

   5 min
2. 2

   Blot away most of the bacon fat with a paper towel, leaving just enough to cook the vegetables.

3. 3

   Without changing the heat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened.

   4 min
4. 4

   Add the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 60 seconds. Adding the garlic now keeps it from burning before the vegetables are cooked.

   1 min
5. 5

   Add the cider vinegar and chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 8 to 10 minutes.

   9 min
6. 6

   Stir in the beans, Dijon and barbecue sauce.

7. 7

   Simmer, stirring now and then, until reduced to a thick baked-bean texture, about 15 to 20 minutes.

   18 min
8. 8

   Turn off the heat and stir in the cold butter, parsley and chives.

9. 9

   Season with salt and pepper only now, at the end; the reduction concentrates the flavors, so seasoning earlier can make the beans too salty.