Smokin' Honey Dutch Oven Anasazi Beans

Most folks who own a pellet grill know that cooking with hardwood smoke turns waiting for the dinner bell into something special. Add a Dutch oven full of Anasazi beans and the following ingredients, and something just north of amazing happens. It’ll take about four hours to cook and smoke, and will feed roughly eight hungry ranch hands.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 12-inch Dutch Oven
• 1-½ lb. Dry Anasazi Beans
• 12 oz. Thick Sliced Bacon, Apple or Maple Smoked – Heck, use the entire pound of it if you wish!
• 1 horseshoe Kielbasa Sausage – Cut in quarters lengthwise and then cut into quarter-inch pieces.
• 1 med. Onion, chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Roasted Jalapeño, seeded and fine chopped – NOTE: Take the five minutes to blacken the jalapeño over a stove burner. This small step makes a big difference. Dang, if you have the courage to call yourself a chili head, use two or three of the peppers.
• 1 cup Carrots, diced – I use a bag of the mini carrots and just slice them fine.
• 3 or 4 Stalks of Celery – Greens attached, sliced lengthwise and chopped.
• 10 oz. Pineapple, tidbits or crushed – In juice not syrup! Drain and reserve juice.
• 1 sm. can Tomato Paste
• ¼ cup Local Raw Honey – Get to know your neighborhood beekeeper!
• 12 oz. Bottle of good brown ale, or substitute Brown O’Doul’s non-alcoholic
• 3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth – I prefer a combination of both.
• Salt and Pepper – Add towards the end to taste. The meats have a lot of salt; the jalapeño has heat.

Directions

1. The evening before, inspect and rinse the dry beans, then cover them with water in a large bowl and let them soak overnight.
2. About five hours before you plan to serve the beans, start the pellet grill with applewood pellets and set it to 400°F. Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch Dutch oven on the stovetop.
3. Dice the bacon and add to the pan.
4. Cook the bacon for 10 minutes or so, but don’t allow it to brown.
5. Add onions, carrots, jalapeño, celery, and bell pepper to the pan. Sweat veggies for another five minutes.
6. Add the rinsed beans to the pot along with tomato paste, honey, beer, broth and pineapple.
7. Place the Dutch oven, uncovered, in the center of the oven rack and reduce the temperature to 350°F. If your Dutch oven has legs, set the smoker lid on the grill first and then place the pot on top of the lid.
8. Bake for four hours, and stir every half hour to incorporate the smoke flavor.
9. After a couple of hours, keep an eye on the liquid level and add pineapple juice or bottled water as needed.
10. At the three-hour mark, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
11. About 30 minutes before serving, if you’d like a thicker consistency, mash a cup of beans and stir them back into the pot.
12. Then get ready to ladle up the most bang-up, top-notch tin plate of beans you’ve ever paired with a hunk of cornbread.
    

The Story Behind Anasazi Beans

Anasazi beans come with a story that stretches back more than a thousand years to the ancient Puebloan people of the American Southwest. These eye-catching red-and-white speckled beans were a staple food, appreciated for how well they grew in dry country and how long they could be stored. In the 1970s, preserved seeds discovered in New Mexico caves brought Anasazi beans back into the spotlight, and they’ve been earning their place in modern kitchens ever since. Naturally sweet with a creamy texture, they’re made for hearty dishes like smoky baked beans, bringing a rich Southwestern heritage right to your table.