If you’d like to know how to make a great pot of baked beans…Start with a pound of thick-cut BACON…
Cook it up until it’s really crispy, and remove it from the pan. But leave ALL of that awesome bacon fat in the kettle! Trust me…it’s a GOOD thing!
Then saute a large diced onion and about 5-6 cloves of finely minced garlic until soft…and then mix together a bowl of HEAVENLY GOODNESS with these ingredients…
Combine the “sauce ingredients…and select the kinds of beans you want to use. I HATE BORING BEANS so I always use a variety of legumes to keep things interesting.
COOKING TIP: ALWAYS rinse all canned beans (EXCEPT Pork and Beans) before using!
Next, pour that “nectar of the gods mixture” of onions, garlic and sauce over the bean mixture, and stir gently to combine. (I like to make my baked beans the day before I’m serving them. This allows time for the flavors to “marry” and blend together.)
And the finished product???
It’s a POT OF GOLD…with no rainbow required!
Meemaw's Bacon Baked Beans
2016-02-19 06:47:28
Ingredients
- 1 lb. thick cut bacon, diced (Place in freezer for a few minutes before cutting-easier!)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 16 oz. cans Pork and Beans-undrained
- 3 16 oz. cans of assorted beans-rinsed and drained (I use Black, Lima, Kidney, etc.)
- 1 28 oz. can Pinto beans-rinsed and drained
FOR THE SAUCE
- This is really up to you...and to your tastes. Here is my "starting point" for measurements. Keep tasting and adjust the ingredients to your liking...and until you reach the right consistency...
- 1 C. ketchup
- 1/2 to 1 C. brown sugar (I like my beans sweet!)
- 1 or 2 Tblsp. Apple Cider VInegar
- 1/4 C. Molasses (Spray measuring cup with cooking spray first-the molasses won't stick!)
- 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1 can Chicken Broth (optional...can use water)
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed kettle, brown the diced bacon until crispy.
- Add the onion and garlic into the bacon and grease and cook until onions become soft.
- Dump all drained and rinsed beans into the pot. (Yes...leave the grease in the pot!)
- Add the undrained pork and beans.
- Stir to combine.
- FOR THE SAUCE: (Taste as you go...and adjust to YOUR liking.)
- In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and TASTE.
- Add sauce mixture to the pot of beans and stir.
- Add water or chicken broth to reach desired consistency.
- Cover, and BAKE in a 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Uncover and add more liquid if needed.
- Bake an additional 30 minutes, uncovered.
- Remove from oven and allow to sit for about ten minutes.
- Stir...and Serve
Notes
- This recipe makes a BIG pot of beans...fit for a Tailgate Party!
- I know these sauce measurements are not exact. If only you could come to my kitchen and we could cook together...like my grandkids do! Then you could write down my "dabs of this and splashes of that" method of cooking! So promise me you will PLAY with your food...and TASTE your food...and make MY recipe YOUR recipe!
Meemaw Eats https://www.meemaweats.com/
Meemaw, do you have a link to this in recipe form so I can get the quantities of the sauce ingredients? I’ve always wanted to make some really good beans instead of just buying canned!
Hi Mary! Thanks for asking! I added a recipe card…just for you!Let me know how YOUR “pot of gold” turns out.. 🙂