Famous Baked Beans

Well, baked bean season is upon us. The classic potluck dish.  A must have at every barbeque. Great hot or cold. One of my all-time favorite foods. The only secret to great baked beans is to actually BAKE them. Not just warm them up in the oven, but actually bake them long and low. Get all that goodness infused through every bite. I think mine are especially good – I always get compliments. 

Here’s what you need:

1 cup chopped onion

½ pound bacon, diced in large chunks

Canned baked beans

                The perfect amount for a 9X13 is

                2 x 28 ounce cans Bush’s brand beans

                1 x 15 ounce black beans

                1 x 15 ounce kidney beans

Sometimes I add cannelloni beans. This is another secret to great beans – have a variety of shapes, colors, textures and sizes of beans

¾ C catsup

1/8 C yellow mustard

¼ C brown sugar

1-2 heaping Tablespoons chili powder (another secret)

Of course, all these measurements can be tweaked to your taste, but this is a good starting place.

  

Here’s what you do:

Keep the liquid from any Bush’s brand beans you use – it’s really good. Drain and rinse any other beans.  See that lonely single piece of bacon in the middle of the bowl? Doesn’t it make you sad?

Sautee the onions and bacon until the fat is melted and the onions are nice and soft. You don’t need to cook the bacon as crisp as you would for bacon and eggs. Just get it all melty and tender.  

Add the catsup, mustard, brown sugar and chili power to the bacon and onion mixture. Scrap all the goodness from the bottom of the pan.

Mix all well. Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for at least one hour.