Beans:

Beans and Sausage
serves 8, prep 10 min, cook 4 hours (soak beans overnight)

1 pound dry pinto beans
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup molasses
3 tbsp good quality chili powder
1 tsp cayenne (optional, my chili powder was spicy enough to omit this)
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 pound thick cut bacon, diced
1 cup strong black coffee
2 pounds smoked sausage links, sliced thick
Soak beans overnight, sort and drain.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Heat oil in a large pot with an oven-safe lid or dutch oven.
Saute onions and garlic until soft.
Stir in molasses, chili powder, spices, and sugar. Add beans, bacon, and coffee.
Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.
Cover the pot and place in hot oven for 2 hours.
Check beans, stirring and tasting. Add more water if needed (mine didn’t), cover, and cook in oven for another 30 min to an hour depending on the tenderness of your beans.
Check beans again, add additional molasses or spices.
Sear smoked sausage pieces quickly in a hot skillet then stir into beans.
Heat oven to 400°F and cook beans and sausage uncovered for 30 min to thicken the sauce.
If the sauce isn’t thick enough you can put the pot back on the stove top and simmer while making cornbread, etc…