Slow Cooker Beer Baked Beans

I love  baked beans.  Especially when they are made from scratch.  I found this great slow cooker recipe from the  Beeroness that I love.  i did make some tweaks to it but who doesn't do that with recipes?  What I love is how this will take 6 to 8 hours to cook.  That means when you have a brisket smoking you might as well make a side that also cooks low and slow.  I feel like Julia Child since one beer in the pot, 1 beer for the cook.  Enjoy.

1lb Navy dried navy beans
1 dark beer, stout or porter
8 strips thick cut bacon see note below
1 medium onion diced
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 TB balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 tsp soy sauce
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TB Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 cup hot water
 
Directions:  Place beans in a bowl and cover with water.  Let sit in fridge overnight. OR place in a pan and cover with enough water until there is a 2 inch gap between water and beans.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Drain after hour.

Heat oven to 400, place bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes or until crisp.  Drain on a paper towel, chop.

Place beans and all ingredients into a crock pot and set on high.  Stir, cover and cook for at least 6 hours or until beans are soft.  Remove rosemary and serve.

Note:  To make this into a vegetarian option, use vegan bacon, omit the Worcestershire Sauce and add an extra tsp of soy sauce.