Favorite Baked Beans

Using Dried Beans

1. Sort the dried beans ensuring no rocks and add to a large bowl. Cover with water and let soak overnight.
2. Drain the beans, rinse and add to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let the beans cook for an hour.
3. Strain the beans but reserve the cooking liquid and add 1 cup of the liquid back into the beans.
4. Preheat oven to 300℉.
5. In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until some grease renders out. Don't cook the bacon until crispy.
6. Remove the bacon from the skillet, add the diced onion and saute in the bacon grease until softened and translucent.
7. In the same large skillet, add the beans with liquid, and the ingredients for the sauce. Stir until combined.
8. Pour the beans and sauce into a 3 qt baking dish. Chop the pre-cooked baocn and spread on top of the beans. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours.
9. Remove the foil and continue baking for 30-45 minutes until the bacon is crispy and sauce is thickened.

Using Canned Beans

1. Skip steps 1-4 above.
2. Preheat oven to 350℉.
3. When adding the beans to the skillet after sauteing the onion, keep the liquid in the beans from the cans. Use half the amount of salt when making the sauce.
4. Bake at 350℉ for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue baking for 30 minutes until bacon on top is crispy and sauce is thickened.