You don't really want to know...

 1 lb bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
 ½ C ketchup
 1/2c bourbon
 1/2c molasses
 1/2c brown sugar
 1 medium onion, chopped and fried in bacon grease
 1 3lb 7oz can B&M or BushÂs beans

I know I'm going to get flack over this but I do get rave reviews.

I always make mine with real Vermont maple syrup instead of the molasses most people use.

That sounds delicious Mustangs!

That sounds great, Mustangs. I just got a new jug of maple syrup, marigene.

Here's something really special:

SUCCULENT BAKED BEANS

Ingredients:

3 pounds pork and beans
1 pound pork sausage
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
15 ounces apricots, drained and chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup Heinz chili sauce

Directions:

Brown sausage with bell pepper and onion.

Add to casserole with all other ingredients.

Bake 30-45 minutes at 350°°.

This was a recipe from my days in South Carolina.

Joe

How much time is saved by using canned beans? They are already "doctored up", if that means having several flavoring ingredients. I would use them as is or make a scratch recipe.

Jim

You've never had my scratch beans Jim :) I've tried several times to make baked beans from scratch, but everyone likes my "doctored up" beans better. My recipe is very like mustangs, in amounts, but I have never used bourbon (may have to try it though), & use chili sauce instead of catsup.

The prunes sound weird, but they're really good. I like the idea of the apricots too. I made baked beans from scratch once, but when they were done they tasted just like Van de Kamp's Pork & Beans, so I decided that it wasn't worth the effort and it was easier to just open the can.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Baked Beans

Recipe By :Becky Chatham
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Baked beans
chopped onion
cooked bacon -- diced
sliced black olives
pitted prunes -- chopped
catsup -- to taste
brown sugar -- to taste
prepared mustard -- to taste
maple syrup -- to taste

Combine all ingredients. Can bake in slow oven for a couple hours (lay raw bacon slices on top if you wish, in which case you would probably omit the cooked bacon), or put in the crock pot on low for several hours.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I do what Cathy does....but only about 1/2 that amount of bacon.....and I put the onion in raw rather than sauteeing it.
But outside of that....I do the same, catsup, molasses brownsugar booze etc......OH...forgot I also add about 1/2 tsp of Coleman's mustard powder.
and put into a bean pot abd bake for a couple of hours at 325.
Linda C

This is the recipe I have been making for probably 30 years. They are always the hit of any summer BBQ I take them to.

JulieÂs Baked Beans

1lb ground beef, browned and drained
1/2lb bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
1T Worcestershire sauce
1/2c catsup
1/2c light molasses
1/2c brown sugar
2 medium onions, chopped
1 3lb7oz can B&M or BushÂs beans

Place all ingredients in casserole and bake one hour at 325F

OR
Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook 5-6 hours on low.

Linda

I agree with Jim, it doesn't take any more time or effort to make them from scratch BUT you need to know the secret. For years I tried to make Boston baked beans with no luck. Mine always came out too hard and soupy until I inherited THE BEAN POT. My aunt bequeathed me my Memere's bean pot. Now my beans are perfect every time.

You might think I'm nuts but I have tested this several times. I have two bean pots, one I inherited from my Memere via my aunt, the other I inherited from my mother. MemereÂs bean pot is heavy crockery and was produced in the late 1800Âs. My motherÂs bean pot is lighter weight possibly stoneware. Mom received it as a wedding present in the 1940Âs. The two pots produce entirely different beans even if I use the same ingredients AND bake them at the same time. GrandmaÂs pot produces tender beans with a thick juice while my motherÂs produces firm beans with a soupy juice. No wonder poor Mom never baked a decent pot of beans!

Like me before inheriting the bean pot, my friend could never bake beans. She asked me what my secret was; I told her it was the bean pot. Off we went to antique shops and flea market in search of the perfect bean pot. It took us a while but we found one. Now her beans come out perfect every time!

I will tell you though I MAY just have to try some of the ingredients above like bourbon (one for the pot two for the cook), balsamic vinegar, apricots, and prunes. They do sound interesting. Not sure I'd get away with it though; my family is pretty militant about having their baked beans just so. :-)

BBQ Baked Beans

Ingredients

 2 x 28 oz cans Busch original baked beans
 1 onion chopped
 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
 diced ½ yellow pepper
 diced ½ red pepper
 2 Tbsp maple syrup
 2 Tbsp molasses
 2 Tbsp brown sugar
 1.5 tsp dry mustard
 1/2 cup BBQ pulled pork - chopped (or a ham hock - or any kind of smoked meat)
 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
 1/8 lb bacon
 1 tsp hot sauce use  chipotle Tabasco

* For a spicier recipe, adjust pepper/hot sauce.

Procedure

Open cans of beans drain the excess liquid from 1 can.

SUGGESTION: Coat the inside of the pan with Pam (optional).

Cook Bacon until crisp, remove bacon from pan and sauté onions and peppers until translucent.

Combine all ingredients in pan & mix.

Cook for a few hours at 325.

Stir the beans about every hour or so.

IF your beans are getting dried out (before they are done), you can add moisture to them. Use 1/2 water and 1/2 any brand BBQ sauce.

Enjoy - Lisa

I just did a Google search for a "baked beans from scratch" recipe. I've never made such.

Starting with dried beans, it takes a minimum of 1 to 1-1/2 hours just to get the beans to a pre-cooking point. That's the "short cut" on the stove method. If it's the old-fashioned way of letting them soak overnight, then you're looking at 8 to 12 hours.

And then you have to put together the beans and other ingredients -- another 1/2 hour -- and bake them in the oven for a minimum of 2-1/2 hours (not the best recipe) to as much as 7 or 8 hours (the better recipes).

I suspect the better recipes are pretty darn good. Nothing fancy or fun, but pretty darn good.

My recipe takes less than 1 hour from start to finish. And it could be the recipes of others posted here take less time.

I've eaten baked beans from scratch. They're okay.

We all occasionally take shortcuts and sometimes the shortcuts are better than the long version. If we know how to tweak.

Joe

Joe, what you say is true. However, most of the time required for cooking beans from scratch is not active time on the part of the cook. It is waiting for beans to soak and waiting for them to cook. Putting the ingredients together would amount to pretty much the same amount of effort for either method, I believe.

I admit that canned beans can be quite good and I keep some on hand. I don't think they are quite so good as beans from scratch however.

Thanks moosemac, for revealing the secret. I'll be hitting the thrift stores in search of that special pot.

Jim

I don't have my cheater baked bean recipe with me but it is very similar to what others have described, chile sauce, brown sugar, bacon, mustard etc but I use three types of beans, brown beans, kidney and Lima beans.Just makes it a bit different and sets them apart from doctored "scratch".

I'm there with Chase! I also cheat just like she stated along the lines of others but add other beans along with it. Kidney beans and butter beans seem to be the favorite with my crowd. Onions and green peppers added make a big difference too along w/the other ingredients.

Try a touch of ground cloves. Takes only a very small amount to spark up your whole tecipe!

Add me to the list of people who sometimes used canned beans in baked beans. I like the Bush's Grilling Beans, they're pretty new, but I use anything the grocery store has on hand. I drain off some of the juice from the cans, dump in the beans. I just squirt in some catsup, some mustard, add some dark brown sugar and molasses. If I'm going to bake them in the oven I'll top with bacon slices but usually I put them in a crock pot for several hours until they are thick and sticky.

If I have a pot of beans I'll often make baked beans from the "leftovers" and those are good too. I used Grandma's old recipe, and what makes them "Boston", I'm sure I don't know, but I'll use whatever beans I cooked, from navy to cranberry to pinto, and sometimes I use a couple of different kinds, like Sharon does.

I even added a can of drained pineapple once, I don't remember why. The kids loved it, and it was OK.

Boston Baked Beans

4-6 cups of cooked beans, drained (reserve drained liquid)
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup catsup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion.

In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean liquid to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or tin foil.
Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Both are good, I love baked beans. I even eat them cold for breakfast or spread on bread as a sandwich!

Annie

It's the molasses that makes them "Boston".

Molasses trade was the keystone of colonial commerce as it supplied a product that enabled the colonists to offset their unfavorable balance of trade with England. Except for experimental attempts to produce molasses locally from corn, the source of supply was the West Indies. It centered at first in the English sugar colonies in Barbados and Jamaica, but by the early eighteenth century it had shifted to the other West Indies such as Spain's Santo Domingo and France's Martinique.

The main significance of molasses was to provide a "money cargo" used as cash. Once it was exported from the islands there was little trade in molasses as such. Its real potency came once the New England distillers turned it into rum. Most important, it served as the basis for the Triangular Trade in rum, slaves, and molasses. New England traders carried rum to Africa in exchange for slaves. These slaves were transported and sold to the West Indies to work in the sugar plantations that produced the molasses. Traders then returned with molasses to New England and sold the goods to rum producers.

/t

My doctored beans are regular fare at our work potlucks. Most people get a choice on what to bring but I get requested to bring the beans. Two ways I go simple and very quick and simple. I always use Bush's Best Original because I can get them in an intitutional size can... about $6 something for a 6.6lb can... lots of beans cheap. I notice the big home sized can of Bush's has jumped over $2!... yikes... I need a an armed guard just to grocery shop.

For a more main course bean when I suspect that other fare may not fill up the young guys I add lots of burger and bacon. Ground chuck fried up and drained of grease makes most of the meat. Bacon I fry first then finish crisping it in the microwave... no soggy bacon in my beans! The meat & bean combo is very filling and younger people will go for plate after plate of them. Those of us with enough extra weight can eat them as a side item.

Both my meat and meatless versions get sweetened. Quick and easy is to just dump in brown sugar until it tastes right for me... then I add another cup as most people go for sweeter then my taste. A shot of maple or pancake syrup is nice. A drizzle of molasses adds a nice touch... brown sugar has some molasses in them. I go easy with both maple and molasses as they are strong flavors to me... just enough for a background flavor note.

Always I pick out the gob of pork fat they put in the can and throw it to the dog. Not just for potluck as I often make this as my dinner... a can of beans in some cooked and drained burger, b&b, and a salad... big glass of milk when I was younger and needed the extra. Beans, bread, and milk... one of my most comfortable comfort meals. Local fancy restaurant makes about the same beans but they use 15 bean mix and call them calico beans.

: )
lyra

Thanks for all your input. I made a double batch of mustangs' recipe, using less bacon since I only had about a pound and substituted 1/2 molasses and 1/2 maple syrup. I stuck them in two crockpots, heated them up, and they were enjoyed by all.

Jim, I really didn't have time for "from scratch", since they had to be at my friend's house on Sunday morning for transport to the party site and I planned on sleeping the night before. LOL

Ruth, Thanks for reporting back.

I adjusted my recipe to include maple syrup. I cook mine in a slow oven until the sauce is thick.

I just use pork and beans, do not drain and add some ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, diced bacon cooked and chopped up onion sauted in the bacon grease. Mix all together and bake until the right thickness. This is cheaper than doctoring up the Bush's baked beans.

Sue

Naturally I have to do something a little different.
Maybe not that different ???

2 - 28 oz. cans of Baked Beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup of Karo ( Pancake and Waffle ) I have Pure Maple Syrup but like the Karo flavor .
1/2 cup of Apple Sauce
1/2 cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 cup of Chopped Picnic Ham
1/2 cup of Onion,Chopped Small and Nuked
1/2 cup of Italian Sausage small pcs. Simmered
1/2 tablespoon of Guldens mustard
1/2 Italian Pinch of Pwd. Cloves
1/2 Tablesp. of Worcheshire
1/2 teaspoon of COOTER RUBB ( New addition )
6 Hot Dogs cut in half, ( 3in. pcs. )
6 Pcs. of Bacon slighty simmered.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1/2 glass of Red Wine to drink, while cooking.

Mix all the ingredients put in a Baking Pan of choice.
I use a SS baking pan.

Lay the Hot Dogs on top and submerge slightly.
Lay the Bacon across the HotDogs and push down to get some Sauce on top .

Bake in a 325 Deg. Oven for about an Hour or until it has thickened slightly.
That's All Folks !!!
LOU

Another who doctors up canned beans here. Bacon, onions, brown sugar, ketchup, and a shot of neon mustard. I've added a touch of maple syrup but will have to try a shot of bourbon now that Cathy has mentioned that. Plain ole pork and beans or the Bush brand here for me. I have to add that I hate that little white hunk of pork fat, almost as much as Sharon hates that little icky white thing in an egg...LOL

Here is Sharon's recipe for her cheater beans. I've made them several times over the years and they are good.

Baked Beans (chase/sharon)

1 Can kidney beans drained
1 Can lima beans drained
2 Can Brown Beans
1 1/2 Cup of chili sauce
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl molasses
3 Slice bacon cut in half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium baking dish, mix kidney beans, lima beans, brown beanas, chili sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses. Top with bacon. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until thick and bubbly.

David