Awesome Baked Beans

This is a recipe my husband made this weekend that was such a hit that he has been 'commanded' to make it again. He adapted it from a larger recipe that was meant to feed a large group of people, so feel free to adjust the amounts and cooking time if needed.

[River in Great Britain]'s Not-So-Quick Baked Beans

1 16-oz can baked beans

3 slices of bacon, halved

½ tsp dry mustard

¼ medium Vidalia onion, diced

1/8 medium green pepper, diced

1/8 cup barbecue sauce

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/16 cup distilled or cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a deep pan skillet until the bacon is partly cooked and released about 1/16 of drippings. Remove the bacon and drain the rest onto paper towels.

Now, sauté the onions and peppers in the drippings for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add the beans and other ingredients to the pan* and simmer. Now, pour the mixture into a greased 8”x8” (or similar sized) pan. Put the bacon on top and bake for up to 2 hours, or until the beans are bubbly and the sauce is roughly the consistency of syrup. Let it stand for a few minutes and serve.

As you can imagine, this recipe is going to be a hit at any cookout, church picnic or office potluck. Who knows, maybe your boss will like them so much he'll give you a promotion! Okay, maybe not, but at least there won't be any leftovers! Enjoy!

*If the pan isn't big enough, just simmer the beans and combine the rest of the ingredients with them in a large bowl.