What is a summer cookout without baked beans? Just another cookout. Make yours the talk of the town with these slightly spicy beans.

2 cups dried navy beans

1 Vidalia onion studded with 10 whole cloves

2 whole bay leaves

1 meaty ham bone

3 cups water

2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup molasses

2 cups ketchup

½ cup sweet pickle juice

Salt to taste

Grinding black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place beans in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight. Next day, drain and rinse them.

Place the beans, onion, bay leaves and ham bone in a bean pot or other heavy duty oven pot like a Dutch Oven.

In a bowl mix together the water, mustard, molasses, ketchup, pickle juice, salt and cayenne and black pepper. Pour over the beans and ham bone.

Cover pot and place in 325F preheated oven for 2 ½ hours or until beans are tender but not mushy.

Remove ham bone and onion; scrape any meat off bone and add to the beans; remove the cloves from the onion and discard them. Cut the onion into small pieces and add to the beans.

Serves 8