brown sugar & bacon baked beans

So, I'd never been a really big fan of baked beans - well, I guess I should say Pork & Beans out of a can, because that's all I'd ever had until I tried this recipe. Then, one night shortly after Dick and I got married, he magnified my dislike for them about tenfold (but I'll give him credit for having the very best of intentions). I was late coming home from work, so he decided he'd surprise me by making dinner. He "remembered" this casserole his mom used to make when he was just a tyke, so he tried his hand at making it (the quotations around the word remembered are there because I seriously think he made this one up). Long story short, the Pork & Beans casserole of his childhood dreams was disastrous, and I don't believe for one second that my mother-in-law ever made such a hideous thing. It was pretty much a can of Pork & Beans with a tortilla on top of it, then another can of Pork and Beans with another tortilla on top of that, and so on...Oh, did I mention the little drops of ketchup that were dispersed throughout the "dish"? Like I said, his heart was so in the right place, but I'm pretty sure I took one bite and that was it. I love you, baby, you know I do!!!

These baked beans, on the other hand, are de-vine! I took them to a Super Bowl party at the beginning of the year, and they were a HUGE hit. In no way do they resemble those pale, soggy, watery, nasty, I can't even keep talking about them canned you-know-what. No, these are rich, savory, flavorful & perfect! The recipe makes a lot, so you can either feed them to a crowd, or have them for lunch & dinner the next day - they are great as leftovers!

Brown Sugar & Bacon Baked Beans

From Prudence Pennywise

Ingredients

1/2 to 1 lb bacon

1 large onion, chopped

3 15 oz cans pinto beans

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

2 Tbsp mustard

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. salt

Directions

preheat oven to 350. in large skillet, fry bacon until almost crispy. pour off most fat. add onion & continue to fry for 5 min. add in all ingredients & mix well. pour into 2 qt. dish or 9x13 pan. bake, covered w/ lid or foil 20 min. remove foil and bake 30 min. longer.