I made these last week, took longer than recipe says, good though! This is from a site that focuses on budget cooking, hence the cost on everything. Btw, I did not soak beans, next time I will and maybe it won't take so long. I used cannolini beans that is what I had.
slow cooker baked beans
***Many readers have reported that their beans have not softened after over 8 hours of cooking. This seems to only be a problem with this particular slow cooker/bean recipe so I suspect the sugar is the issue. Not everyone is experiencing this problem, so proceed with caution!***
So, you know how I love to cook beans in the slow cooker, right? Right. Well, this week I was craving some good 'ol home cookin' so I decided to whip up a batch of baked beans in my slow cooker. I threw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker at night before I went to bed and in the morning, the sweet and savory scent of baked beans was beckoning me out of dreamland.*
FYI, baked beans are REALLY good for breakfast.
Did I mention that you don't have to soak the beans? Yep, you just toss them in there dry.
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 8 hrs. Total: 8 hrs. 10 min.
INGREDIENTS COST
1 large yellow onion $0.87
6 oz. smoked bacon $1.49
1 lb. white beans*
(navy or great northern) $1.18
1/2 cup brown sugar $0.16
1/2 cup molasses $1.10
1/4 cup dijon mustard $0.24
generous cracked black pepper $0.05
4 cups water $0.00
to taste salt $0.05
TOTAL $5.14
STEP 1: Dice the onion and slice the bacon into 1 inch pieces. Spread the beans out on a baking sheet to sort through and remove stones or bad pieces. Transfer the beans to a colander and rinse with cool water to remove dust and debris.
STEP 2: Place the diced onion on the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle the bacon pieces over top, and then add the rinsed beans.
STEP 3: In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, molasses, dijon, and black pepper (do not add salt yet). Once they are combined, stir in four cups of water. Pour this mixture over the beans in the slow cooker. Secure the lid, turn the heat onto high, and cook for six hours or until tender.
STEP 4: Give the beans a good stir, taste one to test the texture. Add salt to your liking. If you're unsure, start with 1/2 tsp of salt and stir it into the bean mixture well. Taste the beans and add more (just a dash at a time) until it tastes right to you.
This recipe makes about as much as 3 (15 oz.) cans and they freeze well, so don't let any go to waste!
The baked beans start with these three items. I chose great northern beans because I like a larger bean. If you want smaller beans, you can use navy beans.
Dice the onion...
Bacon usually comes in 12 oz. packages but I only used 6 for this recipe. Luckily, bacon freezes really well so I saved the other half. Cut the portion that you're using into small pieces by slicing across the strips.
Sort through the beans and remove any stones or bad pieces. Doing this on a baking sheet makes them easy to see while keeping them contained. Transfer them to a colander and give them a good rinse.
Add the onion, bacon and beans to the slow cooker.
In a large bowl, stir together the molasses, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and cracked pepper.
Stir in four cups of water.
Pour that mixture over the beans in the slow cooker. It should be enough liquid to fully cover everything. Secure the lid and turn the heat onto high. Cook for approximately 6 hours (if you need to let it go a little longer, it will be okay).
After at least 6 hours, open it up, give everything a stir and test a bean for texture. If they are soft and fully cooked, season with salt to taste.*
Bacon-y, brown sugar & molasses goodness!
But then, stranger things have been known. I keep a bottle of Wrights HIckory Smoke for Kahlua pork in the crock pot. I guess that's all I ever use it for. I don't know about what the definition or kind of Barbeque Bake Beans Andy is seeking either. I know what I like. The kind to be eaten by the spoonful straight from a casserole to mouth. Impolite. No dirty dishes. 
