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1
Place the beans in a large nonreactive bowl, and add enough cold water to cover them by 3 to 4 inches.
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2
Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and leave the beans to soak at room temperature overnight.
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3
When you are ready to cook the beans, rinse them thoroughly in fresh cold water, and drain.
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4
Place the beans in a large pot, and add water to cover.
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5
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
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6
Drain the beans.
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7
Preheat a smoker or oven to 300 F.
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8
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper, mustard, maple syrup, ketchup, pie filling, and peppers.
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9
Mix well.
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10
Then add the beans and stir again.
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11
Pour the bean mixture into a large aluminum pan (for the smoker) or into a large ovenproof baking dish or Dutch oven.
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12
(You can assemble the beans to this point 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate until youre ready to cook them.)
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13
Add just enough water to the pan to cover everything, and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
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14
Cook in the smoker or oven until the beans are tender, about 4 hours, checking hourly to make sure they arent drying out (if they are, add more water to the pan).
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15
The beans are done when the top is dark brown and bubbling.
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16
If you want the top to be slightly crunchy, uncover the pan for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
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17
Let the beans stand for about 15 minutes, then serve.
