Smoky Baked Beans

• 4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups water
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup unsalted ketchup
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chile paste)*
• 1 1/2 cups dried Great Northern beans
• 1/2 cup dried red lentils

1. Heat bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook 8 minutes. Add onion, thyme, and garlic to pan. Cook 6 minutes. Add 5 cups water and next 6 ingredients (through gochujang); bring to a boil.
2. Place beans, lentils, and ketchup mixture in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 7 hours.
3. *If you don't have gochujang on hand or want to pass on the slight heat it brings, use tomato paste.

bacon, onion, thyme, garlic, water, cider vinegar, unsalted ketchup, maple syrup, lower, mustard, gochujang, dried great northern beans, red lentils

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/smoky-baked-beans (may not work)