If you love baked beans then you know that homemade is the best. But, what happens when you add some really next-level ingredients? Well, you get some of the tastiest beans you’ve ever had. In this recipe smoky bacon is paired with apples and bourbon for a rich, complex taste of Southern cooking that will wow even lukewarm fans of baked beans.

To start this recipe you’ll need to fry up your bacon in a Dutch oven or oven-safe stockpot. You need a lot of room for all the ingredients so make sure you’ve chosen the right size- a 4 quart pan will give you enough room. The mixture can bubble up in the oven, too.

Then fry the onions in the bacon grease. Lots of other recipes might say to always drain the grease when cooking bacon, but it’s a traditional Southern cooking fat that adds a lot of flavor and has a high smoke point- both excellent qualities in sautéing.

After that you’ll deglaze with the bourbon. This gets all the wonderful brown, flavor-filled bits off the bottom of the pan and also begins the cooking process to remove the alcohol.

Then just throw the rest of the ingredients into the pan and bake it for 45 minutes. Serve alongside some cornbread with a side of sliced and salted tomatoes for a meal that could ahve been plucked straight from the South!