Who doesn’t love baked beans? If someone doesn’t really care for baked beans, make these and they just might change their mind. How about making baked beans you will be remembered by. You bring these baked beans to a get-together of some sort with new faces, you’ll be sure to be remembered! Hey, even if they remember you by your baked beans, at least you made a great first impression.
Your ingredient list:
8 slices bacon, halved
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice
3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard or 2 tablespoons Dijon
How to get started:
Start with eight slices of bacon. The thick stuff is great. The thick, peppered stuff is even better.
Cut the slices in half, then fry them on medium-low heat. You don’t want to brown or crisp the bacon at all; the point is only to render the fat and get the bacon pieces ready to bake up and turn brown in the oven.
Remove the bacon pieces once the fat is rendered, and in the name of all that is good and right, do NOT pour out the grease and clean the skillet! If you do, you’ll regret it for the rest of your days.
Next, dice up an onion, and a green bell pepper.
First cut it into strips, then dice it up into little pieces.
Next, measure 3/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce, I prefer Sonny’s “sweet” you can purchase it at Wal-Mart. Pour which ever barbecue sauce you choose it into a bowl, add in 1/2 cup brown sugar, also add 1/4 cup distilled white or apple cider vinegar. Finally, add a few tablespoons Dijon mustard and mix the whole thing together.
By this point your mouth should already be watering with anticipation!
Now, back to the skillet. You can pour off a little of the excess grease, but leave some in there for good measure. Hopefully you are not counting calories this week. Eek, so bad, yet so, so good! Put the skillet over medium heat, then throw in the onions and green peppers.
Stir them around until they are nice and tender.
Then, pour in three cans of pork n’ beans, no particular brand.
Stir it together, then pour in the barbecue sauce/brown sugar mixture.
Bring this all to a simmer. Then pour it into a large casserole pan.
Finally, put the half-cooked bacon slices all over the top. Since the fat has already been rendered from these, they are going to cook up really nicely in the oven, and there won’t be that big layer of grease standing on top of the beans, which is a huge plus. A thick layer of grease in never appetizing!
The secret to getting the best baked beans possible, bake this low and slow—325 degrees for 2 hours. You want the beans to be very, very cooked, the bacon very, very brown, and no soupiness at all.
A few years ago a neighbor brought these to a get-together, I have been making them ever since. I made them for a Memorial Day party we attended Monday. They were a HUGE hit and every single person who ate them, begged for the recipe. Figured I would share with you all as well! Enjoy!
