Slow Cooker Fifteen Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 eight oz. package 15 bean soup mix
• 3 cups (approx.) cubed, fully cooked ham
• 1 pound bacon
• 2 cups (2 fifteen oz. cans) chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 fifteen oz. can northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 3 medium sized carrots, coarsely grated
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp coarse ground sea salt
• 1-2 tsp ground cumin (to taste)
• 1-2 pinches crushed red pepper (to taste)
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Quick soak dry beans. This is essential. There are other methods of soaking dry beans, like cold soaking them in the refrigerator overnight, but this is the preferred way. Rinse the dry beans well. Boil enough water in a saucepan to cover about an inch higher than beans (they will expand slightly). Place the dry beans in the pot and boil for three minutes, then remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Do not boil the beans too long or they will begin to break down and lose their skin. You're just rehydrating them at this point.
2. While beans are soaking, you have plenty to do. First, you want to cook your bacon. Cook it up a little crispier than usual (it will be a crunchy topping for the soup), but don't be an asshole and burn it. Also, do not discard the bacon grease, as you'll be using it to start a roux for the broth. A pound of bacon should yield about a half cup of fat. Place bacon and grease aside when finished.
3. Cut your ham, onion and celery. Grate your carrots, and place these into the crock pot. Also add your strained and rinsed northern beans.
4. Prepare your broth. You'll start by making a roux. Pour the bacon grease into a decent sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add butter and cook until melted. Add your flour and whisk well until it is fully absorbed and bubbling. Gradually add your broth and water and whisk continually. When you first add liquid, the roux will take on the consistency of a thick batter. This is normal. It will thin out once more liquid is added. Don't stop whisking until all liquid is integrated. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic and cumin and stir until absorbed, then remove from heat.
5. Your beans should now be finished soaking. Strain them and rinse well with cold water. They'll have a greyish color to them. This is normal, as they haven't really started cooking yet. Add these to the crock pot. Pour your broth mixture into the crock pot now. The liquid should barely cover all of the other ingredients. If not, add a little more water until it does. Mix everything up a bit, add bay leaf, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
6. When finished cooking, remove bay leaf and serve topped with crumbled bacon, and with some crusty bread on the side.