Posted Saturday, October 1, 2005 @ 07:50 AM  

1 1/2 lb. dried navy beans, rinsed and
soaked overnight in water to cover
1 lb. smoked bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 C. maple syrup
1/2 C. molasses
1 T. ground pepper
3 T. Dijon mustard
1 C. ketchup
2 T. tomato paste
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. Tabasco
1 C. orange juice, divided
1 C. pineapple juice, divided
1 C. black coffee, divided
2 C. chicken stock, divided
Rinse soaked beans and place in large pan with enough fresh water to cover. Cook, covered, over medium heat for one hour or until tender. While beans cook continue with the next two steps. When beans are done, drain and discard cooking liquid.
Saute bacon in a skillet until lightly browned, remove and set aside, then lightly saute the chopped onions in the remaining bacon fat until translucent. Remove onions and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine maple syrup, molasses, pepper, mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, Tabasco, 1/2 cup of the orange juice, 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice, 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1 cup of the stock. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 300ºF. Combine remaining juices, coffee and stock; set aside.
Combine beans, sauce, onions and bacon in an ovenproof baking dish or bean pot. Cover tightly with foil or lid and bake 6 to 8 hours, checking from time to time and stirring in some of the additional liquid mixture as needed. Taste for seasoning near the end of the cooking time and add salt if needed. If the mixture has not cooked down enough, remove lid or foil about 1 hour before end of cooking time. (The bacon will have seasoned the beans with salt to some extent.) Makes 8 to 10 servings.