Baked Beans

This post may be titled Baked Beans but I really intend for this post to bring a Tuesday night tradition of mine to your attention. I do this because I feel like the event is much more special to me than this recipe. Please scroll to the bottom of the post to get the recipe.

First, it begins with a bar:

Any old bar will do. The divey, the better.

Add a bartender named Bob:

This might be harder to do since Bob is the best bartender, you see. He has an over-abundance of generosity and caring for a group of ragtag twenty-somethings, far beyond what we deserve. He particularly likes to feed us and was the instigator of this Tuesday night tradition by serving us Italian Beef, just because. He has since made chicken wings, beef stroganoff, fajitas, pulled pork, and on this particular Tuesday, served his signature, Sloppy Bob’s for these fine folks:

Ok, enough revelry, there are baked beans to be had.

Now, this baked bean recipe is not one that I would recommend if you are wanting to make something healthy, or something that incorporates natural ingredients, or has any degree of food couture. To be honest, I am in the market for a new baked bean recipe. This recipe is definitely tasty and it feeds alot of people for not alot of cash. And it is exceedingly easy to prepare and doesn’t require much time in the kitchen. And it leaves your house sharply smelling of amazing BBQ, a vinegary sweet and spicy aroma that I wish I could bottle.

Ok, maybe I am just in the market for a recipe that doesn’t start with “open a can of…”

I feel like recipes that incorporate beans should show off the health benefit and flavor of beans, not totally usurp those bonuses for the sake of bacon, like this recipe does.

Despite any bean based philosophy you may or may not have, make this recipe. You might just be called the Bean Queen by your favorite bartender because of it.

To make this recipe, you’re going to need lots of beans.

Plus a few pieces of bacon, a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (or whatever is most handy), some apple cider vinegar, dry mustard and a few onions. Oh, and brown sugar! I forgot to add that in the picture.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and move a rack to the lower middle position.

Fry up about 8 slices of bacon in a large (my is 12 inches and barely fit everything) skillet on medium heat until the bacon fat is rendered. Don’t cook the bacon until it is crispy, that happens in the oven. There just needs to be a shallow depth of fat in the bottom and the bacon needs to be slightly rippled.

Remove the bacon and let it drain on a paper towel lined plate. Turn the heat down to medium low and fry about a cup of diced onions in the bacon fat until they are translucent. I might have burned mine. It still tasted awesome.

Add 4 cans of pork n’ beans to skillet and stir. I can justify this step by telling myself that I don’t have a good homemade recipe for pork n’ beans.

Give it a good stir.

Mix 1 cup of BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar. You can see that specific measurements are a crucial part of this recipe.

Pour mixture into skillet and stir again.

Add 2 tsp of dry mustard. Two tablespoons of Dijon mustard would also work.

Pour entire bean mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Make a layer of bacon across the top of the beans.

Stick the dish into the oven and bake for two hours. The long and low baking will allow for all the flavors to incorporate leaving rich and savory beans topped with caramelized bacon.

It also makes you late to the bar…

Which means that the only picture of the final dish is one that has a few bites of beans removed. They went fast.

Also made this evening by another friend, were bacon-wrapped jalapenos:

And Sloppy Bob’s!

Here is the picture-less recipe, with minor adaptations from The Pioneer Woman:

Baked Beans (adapted from here)

10 slices of bacon, cut in half
2-3 small onions, about 1 cup diced
4 cans of porn n’ beans
1 cup barbecue sauce (any flavor will do)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp dry mustard

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1.5-2 hours
Utensil/bowl use: minimal – cutting board, knife, skillet, baking dish, measuring cups/spoons
Serve: when you have a large, hungry, bacon-loving crowd to feed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack on the lower middle position. Fry bacon for 2-3 minutes on a large skillet set to medium heat. Once bacon fat is rendered, remove it from the skillet and set aside on a paper lined plate to drain. Turn heat to medium low and fry onions in bacon fat for about 5 minutes or until they are just tender. Add beans to skillet and stir. Add barbecue sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and dry mustard to skillet and stir until well mixed.

Pour bean mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Place bacon on top of beans in a single layer covering the beans. Bake beans in preheated oven on the low rack for two hours. It might cook faster depending on your oven, so check the beans after an hour and a half. If the beans are bubbly and the top of the dish is nicely caramelized and dark brown, go ahead and removed the baked beans from the oven.

Let the beans stand for a few minutes before serving.