Darn Good Baked Beans

These baked beans will be the hit of the back yard BBQ or just a weeknight burger or hot dog night. Sweet and tangy sauce doctors up plain ole' pork and beans into something memorable.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 20 mins

Total Time3 hrs 35 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked beans

Servings: Servings

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Sweet Daddy D

Here's What You Need

4 @ 15 ounce cans pork and beans or 2 @ 28oz cans
3 slices smoked bacon sliced into 1" pieces (3 Tablespoons bacon grease)
2 cups yellow onion chopped-about 1 med-large onion
1 ½ cups green pepper chopped-about 1 medium pepper
2 tablespoons garlic minced-about 3 cloves
15 ounces water See Notes

Fixins'

½ cup brown sugar light or dark
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
Pinch kosher salt

Here's What You Do

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Chop all the vegetables and set aside. Mix the Fixins' in a small bowl making sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar. Set the Fixins' aside.
In an oven-safe heavy Dutch oven with a lid, fry the bacon over medium heat until almost crispy and plenty of fat has been rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Make sure to leave the bacon grease in the Dutch oven.
Continuing on medium heat, sauté the yellow onions and peppers in the bacon grease until starting to caramelize. Don't rush this step, it will take about 20 minutes. See NOTES.
Add the garlic and stir until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the beans and mix well. Increase the heat until it comes to a simmer for a few minutes.
While it's simmering, fill one of the cans with water. Pour the water from can to can to capture all the juice. Set aside. See NOTES.
Add the Fixins' and combine completely. Add about ½ can of the water and increase the heat to bring it to a boil, set the remaining water aside. Cook on a slow simmer for about 5 minutes. Add back some or all of the bacon.
Place in a 300 degree oven, covered for about three hours total. Stir every hour or so making sure to scrape the beans off the side and bottom, Add more water from the reserved can depending on how thick you like your beans.

Notes

If you are short on time, follow these tips and still have delicious baked beans:

1.) use saved bacon grease from prior cooked bacon

2.) you can use vegetable or olive oil instead of bacon

3.) sauté the onions and bell peppers just until clear, don't take them all the way to caramelization.

4.) skip the baking-just simmer on top of the stove (low heat, covered) for at least 30 minutes or however long you have.

5.) cook fully or partially a day in advance.

Taking the time to caramelize the onions is an important flavor-building step. Keep the heat at medium and stir regularly, making sure the onions don't burn.

Add as much or as little water as you need to reach your preferred thickness

Leftover baked beans can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for up to two months. Make sure the beans cool down before refrigerating or freezing. Store them in an airtight container for best quality. Thaw them in the fridge overnight if frozen. Reheat in the microwave, on top of the stove or in the oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 to 20 minutes or until heated all the way through.

Nutrition

This recipe came from First...You Have a Beer (www.firstyouhaveabeer.com). If you like it, please leave a 5 star rating and a comment on the site and, most importantly, SHARE it with your friends.