Make Your Own Home-Made Baked Beans in Clay

Independence Day is the quintessential summer holiday. It's warm outside, the sun is shining, fireworks are in the air, and everybody's swimming, barbecuing and celebrating the birth of our wonderful nation. So what could be better? If you're looking for the perfect side dish to complete your July 4^th barbecue, then look no further than baked beans!

Everybody loves baked beans: they are a great compliment to burgers, hot dogs, and other grilled food. And, of course, they're so easy to find: any grocery store carries a canned version. I've been trying to stay away from canned food for awhile now, but I've never tried making my own baked beans.

Like with other things, sometimes I feel intimidated, and then I am shocked to find out how easy these things are to make, especially armed with my trusty VitaClay! And with VitaClay, absolutely everything tastes better! I love that I'm not exposing myself or my family to any BPA or other chemicals or heavy metals that may leech into food from the can, and I can also regulate how much and what kind of sugar I use in the beans!

Now, I thought I liked baked beans, but I realized I'd never truly had baked beans until I'd made them myself in VitaClay. Try it! It's so easy, and you'll be so glad you did.

Ingredients:

• 2 c navy beans, soaked and drained
• ½ lb bacon
• 3 c broth (or just enough to cover)
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 2 t salt
• ¼ t black pepper
• ¼ t dry mustard
• ½ c ketchup
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 3 T molasses
• 1/8-1/4 c coconut sugar (I like things less sweet)

1. Heat the molasses, salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and sugar in a separate skillet, mix them well.
2. Chop the bacon into small bits
3. After the sauce is heated, turn to the Vitaclay slow cooker and layer the beans and bacon in the VitaClay pot, as well pouring the sauce into the mixture as well to incorporate
4. Pour in the broth to just cover the beans
5. Close, seal and cook for 2 hours on “stew” setting, until beans are tender
6. Check half way through to make sure the beans don't look dry. Add more broth if necessary.
7. Serve directly out of the clay pot: it will keep them warm for a couple of hours when closed up in the housing!
8. Top with more crispy bacon bits, if desired