Better Than Best Baked Beans!
Don't let the large can of bean size scare you. The recipe as posted is for a large gathering such as a BBQ or picnic, however, this recipe is easily halved, quartered, doubled or even tripled!
Ingredients:
1 lb bacon
2 large onions, chopped
1 (110 ounces) can baked beans (large institutional size from Costco or Sam's Club)
1/4 cup ketchup (more or less to taste)
2 cups chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot to taste - I use hot)
1/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cumin (to taste - I free sprinkle it and add more to taste as it slo cooks)
Yield: 20 servings
4 hours 30 minutes total (approx.) ... 30 mins prep
Fry bacon in frying pan. (I cut into bite sized pieces with scissors before frying).
As bacon fries, chop onions.
When bacon is finished, remove from pan,drain and wrap in paper towels to absorb grease.
Saute onions in bacon fat til translucent.
Pour into strainer, but not necessary to rinse or pat with paper towel.
For me, straining is enough.
Pour canned beans into 6 Qt Crockpot.
Stir in bacon, onions, ketchup, Salsa, Brown Sugar and cumin, mixing very well. Stir often.
Cook on low for several hours well ahead of serving as it tastes even better the longer you allow the flavors to blend together.
If I'm making them for a party, I make them early morning for that night or even the night before, cooking overnight in the crockpot.
They will stay hot for a long time and you can just turn the crockpot back on a couple hours before serving.
I taste them often as they're cooking and add more salsa and/or cumin to taste. We like to taste the cumin, but if you don't that's ok.
Freezes VERY well and you can reheat in microwave or in crockpot once thawed.
Leftovers are great the next day!
B-man
