These baked beans are always a crowd pleaser. I almost always double or triple the recipe for a crowd and it’s never a problem. You can also use different meat, depending on what’s local and available. One time I made them for friends in New Orleans and used Tasso ham which gave the beans a real kick! Remember, most recipes are just a guide to success!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- ½ lb Bacon – cut into bite size pieces
- 1 Large sweet onion – chopped into bite size pieces
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced (use more or less, depending on your taste)
- 1 28 oz. can Baked Beans (I prefer to use Bush’s Best Original Recipe)
- 1 15.5 oz. can Red Kidney Beans (I prefer to use Bush’s Red Kidney Beans)
- 1 15.5 oz. can Butter Beans (I prefer to use Bush’s Butter Beans)
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Catsup
- ½ tsp Dried Mustard
- 2 tbs Molasses
- 1 tsp Parsley
Instructions:
- Decide on the vessel you plan to cook your beans in and set aside. I prefer to use an oven safe heavy Dutch Oven or a large Crockpot.
- Brown the ground beef. Once browned, drain off the fat and transfer the browned meat to the pot you are using to cook the beans in. Repeat above steps with the bacon.
- Sauté the onion until translucent in olive oil (okay, a little bacon grease would be good as well) adding a little salt to make the onions sweat then some freshly ground black pepper. When almost finished (about 4–5 min) move the onion to one side of the pan and add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 min) then combine with the onion. Transfer the onion and garlic to the pot.
- Open and drain and rinse Kidney and Butter beans and add to the pot
- Open baked beans and pour off much, but not all, of the sauce and to the pot
- In a small bowl combine brown & white sugar, catsup, dried mustard, and molasses. Mix thoroughly and add to the pot
- Gently mix together all ingredients in the pot, while incorporating parsley
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, then reduce to 250 degrees for an additional two hours stirring Occasionally
