The Best Baked Beans Ever

By tschnet1

Ingredients

• Serves up to 18
• 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

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

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.

Pour it into a bowl…

Add 1/4 cup distilled white or apple cider vinegar.

Finally, add a couple of tablespoons Dijon mustard and mix the whole thing together.

Now. Back to the skillet. You can pour off a little of the excess grease, but leave some in there for good measure.

Put the skillet over medium heat, then throw in the onions and green peppers.

Stir ‘em around and cook ‘em for a few minutes, or until tender.

Then, pour in three cans of good ol’ pork ‘n beans.

Stir it together, then pour in the barbecue sauce/brown sugar mixture.

Bring this all to a simmer. And I think if you like things spicy, you could easily add in some chopped fresh jalapeno to the onion/green pepper mixture. That would give these some serious kick.

Then pour it into a large casserole pan.

Labor Day: make these baked beans! I’m a serious baked bean fan, and I couldn’t get enough of these. They were absolutely perfect.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep saute pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients). Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.