Yay! So glad to hear that! Sounds like such a cozy time :-)

Now simmering again on this rain chilled day. Same as last time. Perfect! Thanks so much!

So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding turkey kielbasa – yum!

I used to think that as well! Kenji Lopez-Alt did a great experiment on salting vs. not. Salting beans actually enhances the flavor AND helps keep them intact. Adding salt at the end instead definitely won’t HURT, but after reading this (and starting to soak and cook my beans in salted water) I have definitely noticed a difference. Check out the experiment here: https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/salt-beans-cooking-soaking-water-good-or-bad.html

I’ve read that salting beans before cooking keeps them from cooking right. I don’t salt my soaking water or add salt to the soup until the end.

Thanks so much Jennifer!! So glad you liked it, and I appreciate the comment! :-)

Great question- I should have added the amount! Fixing now. To clarify, I’m not 100% positive that the salt actually helps break down the indigestible carbohydrates in beans, but it DOES flavor them really well and helps soften their skin. Use 3 tablespoons salt to 4 quarts of water for 1 lb. of dry beans. You can read more about it here: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5803-salty-soak-for-beans Hope that helps!

Thanks for letting us know, Becky! Slow cookers can vary- older models especially sometimes cook at a lower temperature than others. The good thing about a slow cooker is that you really can’t overcook things so it’s easy to add a few hours to the cooking time even if you don’t know if you are going to need it!

Love it! Thanks for the recipe!!

I put it in EVERYTHING. It’s the best way to get a natural smoked taste (without the use of liquid smoke or anything like that!).