My Famous Baked Beans (2)

This is a repost of an earlier recipe that I originally posted without pictures

Baked Beans

(this is half of the recipe below)

In my family I'm famous for my baked beans. For years I made these for almost any occasion, whether it was a barbeque, church supper, or family reunion. I love the way these thicken up and get crusty around the edges. (in the picture above, I was rushing and didn't let them get quite thick and browned enough)

Ingredients:

• 2 1lb 12 oz can of baked beans or pork and beans
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c molasses or syrup
• 1 c ketchup or chili sauce (oops-forgot to put this in the picture)
• 1 c chopped onions
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t dry mustard (optional)
• 2 T liquid smoke (optional)
• 5 strips of bacon, chopped in small pieces (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in covered casserole for 1 hour at 300 degrees F. I like to take the lid off for the last 10-15 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and brown top.

In the summertime when I make this for just my family, I cut the recipe in half, microwave for awhile, then finish off uncovered in the oven just for the thickening and browning--saves heating the kitchen up for so long.

I like Bush's Baked Beans for this

The best syrup for this is not pancake syrup, but a good thick, golden cane syrup. In the south I like Johnny Fair or Blackburn Made syrup the best.

Most of the time I leave off the bacon, but if I use it, I like to put the bacon on top instead of mixed in.

I leave off the liquid smoke most of the time, just because it's not something I keep on hand.

And as always, I use dried onion flakes instead of fresh onion.

All cans of beans are not created the same. On occasion, I've opened beans that seemed to have more juice than usual--in those cases, I cut back on the syrup and increase the brown sugar to balance the extra liquid.

This recipe lends itself well to halving, which I do for the family-sized version pictured above, and doubling, which I've done for church dinners and other large functions. In that case, double the ingredients listed here for each gallon of beans, and allow at least two hours to bake; more if you mix it up the night before and refrigerate. (It does seem to taste better if I mix it all up and refrigerate overnight, but it takes a lot longer to bake if it's been refrigerated instead of just mixed at room temperature.)

Try this out, I think you'll like it!

I know I'm famous in my family for my yummy baked beans. Maybe I could be famous in other families too. Better make some business cards.

For more recipes, check out:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

And for the first time:

Friday Feasts

I Am Blissfully Domestic

Good cooking, and good eating!