HART STILLWELL'S BAKED BEANS

Hart Stillwell's Baked Beans

Hart Stillwell, a frontier novelist, made a rough version of these beans over campfires while on fishing and hunting trips. If you like beans less sweet, reduce the amount of brown sugar.

2 pounds cooked navy beans or other white beans
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (or less)
3/4 cup strong black coffee
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup bourbon
4 slices slab bacon, chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
2 tablespoons unsulphured dark molasses
2 tablespoons dry mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into a baking dish. Bake the beans, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, or until they have thickened and cooked down, with a "skin" just beginning to form on the top of the beans.

These beans reheat well and keep refrigerated for several days.