Boston Baked Beans

There's something about baked beans that just screams summer.  They are a backyard barbeque staple and perfect with just about any barbeque main dish.  Especially hot dogs.  Warning: these beans are so good your hot dog bun might just become a delivery vehicle for beans.  Sweet but still spiced and loads of smoky flavor from the bacon, these beans beat anything that comes in a can.  And yet they are still easy because you make them in your crock pot!  Beats heating up the kitchen on a hot summer day.  Throw this together in the morning before your cook out and go about the rest of your business, by the time the burgers and dogs come off the grill, these will be perfect and ready for your picnic buffet.

Stephanie, my source for all things crock pot over at Crock Pot 365, shared this recipe with adaptations for bacon or sausage.  She went the sausage route, but there's just something about bacon that just makes me (and Dave) smile.  Plus it's more traditional for Boston baked beans.  I used a 4 quart crock pot and pinto beans, rather than kidney beans.  My ingredients picture shows 2 big cans of beans, but the quantities listed are based on Stephanie's recipe.  But this can be easily adapted to make more beans if your gathering is large.  We make these beans often and you'll definitely enjoy these for your summer gatherings.



Boston Baked Beans

Ingredients

3 14.5 ounce cans of pinto beans
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound bacon

Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock pot.  Add onion, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, salt, dried mustard and pepper and stir until combined.

Layer bacon slices over top of bean mixture, but don't stir it in.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Discard bacon and serve. (Note: Trust me--the bacon will have no flavor left---everything has seeped into the beans and you will be disappointed if you eat it.  Not that I tried.  Dave did.)

Makes about 10 side dish servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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