- 1 bag of 15 beans
- 8 strips Wright's Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon
- 2 cups diced smoked ham
- 8 cups water
- 1 bottle Honey Lager
- 3 springs fresh rosemary
- 2 bunches fresh thyme
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon savory
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 2-3 bay leaves (depending on size)
- 1 stick butter
- 1 onion
- 4 dollops Gourmet Garden® Minced Garlic
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon McCormick's® Ancho Chili Pepper
- 1 teaspoon McCormick's® Peppercorn Medley
- 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon Redmon's® Real Salt
Directions:
Soak the beans overnight in beer and enough water to cover the top of the beans.
Drain the beans and set aside. Mince onions and set aside. Cube ham and set aside. Mince fresh herbs and set aside. Put marjoram, savory, and tarragon in a prep bowl and set aside.
Cut bacon into 1/4 inch strips with kitchen shears and cook in a stock pot. Once browned, scoop to a paper towel lined plate and pour off the rest of the bacon grease. Do not clean the pot.
Over medium low heat, add the butter and allow it to begin to brown. Add onions and cook until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic, salt, peppers, and smoked paprika mid-way through the onion cooking.
Then add the brown sugar, bacon, cloves, and ham and stir thoroughly. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Next add the beans and the water, stirring again. Finally, add the bay leaves and stir once more.
Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Add herbs and cook 30 more minutes. Raise the temperature to bring the soup back to a boil, uncover, and cook 15 more minutes to reduce the soup a bit.
Myrtle's Note: I wanted to make 15-Bean Soup without the flavoring back. As you can see, I cast a wide net for my flavoring. The end result was better than I hoped, a bit smokey, savory, and a hint of sweet.
Yield: 8 servings
Source: Myrtle
