wash the dried beans
pour them into the cooker and pour the 3 quarts of water over them
drop in the bacon and pour in the peeled butternut squash, still frozen is fine
cover and cook 6 hours on high
open after 6 hours, stir to start smashing the squash, it should fully melt away by the time the soup is done
remove the bacon and chop finely, then stir back in
add the herbs, salt, sugar and some extra smoke flavor if desired
continue to cook for two more hours on high, leave the top off if you want it to thicken up or leave it partially off if you prefer it more soupy
use a potato masher to partially mash some of the beans and the rest of the squash if you like
serve whenever you are ready to eat and the soup is as thick as you like it
