PREP: 35 minutes STAND: 1 hour COOK: 45 minutes BAKE: 2 hours at 325°F PROCESS: 1 hour 5 minutes COOL: 10 minutes MAKES: 7 pints
2 lb. dried navy or pinto beans
6 qt. water
4 to 5 dried ancho peppers, stemmed, seeded, and broken into 1-inch pieces (tip, page 107)
3 cups chopped onions
4 oz. bacon, chopped
2 fresh jalapeño, serrano, and/or Fresno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped (tip, page 107)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2½ cups packed brown sugar
¾ cup molasses
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1. Rinse beans. In a large pot combine beans and 3 qt. of the water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. (Or omit cooking step and soak beans in cold water overnight in a covered pot.) Drain and rinse beans. Return beans to the pot and add the remaining 3 qt. fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet toast the ancho chiles over medium heat about 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring frequently. Let cool. Place peppers in a food processor; cover and process until very finely chopped.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a 5- to 6-qt. pot combine onions, bacon, fresh chiles, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat about 8 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the drained beans, 4 cups of the bean cooking liquid (add water to make 4 cups if necessary), the ancho chiles, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cover and bake 2 hours or just until beans are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary to maintain a saucy consistency.
4. Ladle hot beans and sauce into seven hot sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
5. Process filled jars in a pressure canner, at 10 lb. pressure for weighted-gauge canner or 11 lb. pressure for dial-gauge canner, 65 minutes, adjusting for altitude (start timing when canner reaches 10 or 11 lb. pressure). Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Carefully remove canner lid; cool jars in canner 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)
6. To serve, place contents of one jar and 2 to 4 Tbsp. water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Boil, covered, 10 minutes (add 1 minute for each 1,000 feet of elevation).
PER ½-CUP SERVING: 264 cal., 2 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 3 mg chol., 226 mg sodium, 53 g carb., 9 g fiber, 9 g pro.