Mmmmmm Baked Beans!

Alright,

So it's still picnic and cookout season.  When the question is raised: "What do I bring?", someone inevitably says: "Why not baked beans?"  The problem with this is that you need a good recipe.  Sometimes it's too sweet, sometimes too salty and there is almost always never enough bacon in them.  Well, my friends, I am proud to announce that I have concocted a recipe that I deem utterly appropriate for all cookout occasions.  With a little help from a recipe I found on epicurious.com, these may be the best baked beans I have ever tasted.

Here it goes:

8 slices thick cut bacon

1 large onion- chopped coarsly

1 T spicy brown mustard

1 T minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp dried Thyme

3/4 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

fill a 1/3 measuring cup half with a dark, robust molasses and the other half with honey

1 T brown sugar

1/3 cup water

2 small bay leaves

1 can red kidney beans

1 can cannellini beans

1 can black beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Alright, you are going to start by cooking your bacon until crisp then setting aside to drain.  Crumble bacon.  Remove some of the drippings from the pan and then add the onions.  Cook these until soft and somewhat losing their color.  Add the mustard, garlic and the thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.  Then add the next 6 ingredients and stir for 1 minute.  Add the beans and bacon, mix well and transfer to a baking pan.

Bake this for about 45 minutes uncovered stirring once halfway through.  If the beans look like they are getting dry, add water by the Tablespoon.  (I didn't have to).

 

This recipe is fairly easy and fast to make!  That is what I loved about it.  It's tangy from the apple cider vinegar; but not too sweet from the sugar (because I didn't add a ton).

Let me know how yours turns out if you make this!  Hopefully you enjoy it!

Let us talk basic kneeds!