The best baked beans

Ingredients:

• 220 g thick slices of bacon, cut into 1 cm pieces.
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 220 g tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• 450 g dry white beans, sorted

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, molasses, bourbon, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the beans and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and place in the oven. Bake until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. If the beans are still a little firm, continue baking, stirring every 45 minutes and adding more water as needed to ensure the beans are covered.
4. Once the beans are tender, remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Bake until the beans are set, another 1 hour. Again, if the beans need more time, continue baking, stirring occasionally and adding more water. Remove from the oven and thin the beans with water if necessary.